CHAPTER IX. — RESTORING THE RING.

 "Now," said Henry, "we had better go down to Wall Street and see the advertiser at once. If we can restore the ring to-night we shall avoid the risk of losing it."

 

"What makes you say we?" asked Sam, uneasily. "You don't expect any of the reward, do you?"

 

"I only expect you to pay me back what you owe me, Sam. The ring was found by you, and you are entitled to the reward."

 

Sam looked relieved.

 

"Of course I'll pay you all I owe you, as soon as I get the twenty-five dollars," he said.

 

"Have you got the advertisement? Can you tell the name and number of the advertiser?"

 

"Yes, his name is John Chester, and his office is at No. 49 Wall Street."

 

"Good. We must go down directly, or he will be gone."

 

The boys hurried to the office, which was on the third floor of the building. A young man, of eighteen or nineteen, was in sole possession. It may be remarked, by the way, that Mr. Chester was a lawyer, and this young man had just entered the office as student.

 

"That can't be Mr. Chester," said Henry, in a low voice, as the young man turned upon their entrance, and fixed¹ his eyes inquiringly upon them.

 

"I'll ask," said Sam.

 

"Are you Mr. Chester?" he inquired.

 

The youth looked flattered at being mistaken for his employer.

 

"Mr. Chester has gone home," he answered, consequentially²; "but, perhaps, I can do well. Do you come on business?"

 

"Yes," said Sam.

 

"Ahem! law business, I suppose," said the lawyer's assistant, looking wise. "State your case, and I may be able to assist you. Is it a case of trespass³, or do you wish to obtain a habeas corpus, or a caveat⁴, or a nisi prius?"

 

"What a lot he knows!" thought Sam, respectfully. "I don't want none of those things."

 

"Perhaps you want to obtain a divorce," said the budding barrister, in a jocular tone. "I am afraid we can't manage that for you."

 

"We want to see Mr. Chester on particular business," said Henry Martin.

 

"Well, you can't see him to-night. He's gone home."

 

"Where does he live?"

 

"He don't see clients at his house. It won't be any use going there."

 

"I guess he'll see us. We'll take the risk."

 

"What is your business about?" asked the young man, with curiosity.

 

"It's private," said Henry.

 

"Very important, no doubt," said the disappointed neophyte⁵.

 

"Mr. Chester will think so," said Sam. "Where did you say he lived?"

 

"Did you come about the ring?" asked the young man, with a sudden thought.

 

"What ring?" asked Sam, cunningly.

 

"Mr. Chester lost a ring in Wall Street yesterday and advertised it in the Herald⁶. I didn't know but you had found it."

 

"Suppose we had?" said Sam.

 

"Then you can give it to me, and I'll take it up to Mr. Chester."

 

"Thank you, but if I've found it I'll carry it up myself."

 

"Have you got it?"

 

"You can ask Mr. Chester about it to-morrow morning. Where does he live?"

 

"I've a great mind not to tell you," said the law student, resentfully.

 

"Then I'll find out in the 'Directory' and let Mr. Chester know you wouldn't tell us."

 

Upon this Sam got the desired information.

 

He was told that Mr. Chester lived in West Thirty-fifth Street.

 

"Let us go," said Henry.

 

Sam followed him out.

 

"Shall we go up there to-night?" he asked.

 

"Yes; it is no doubt very valuable, and the sooner we get it into the hands of the owner, the better."

 

They took the University Place cars, and in a little more than half an hour reached Thirty-fifth Street. They heard the neighboring clocks strike six as they rang the bell.

 

The door was opened by a colored man.

 

"Does Mr. Chester live here?" asked Sam.

 

"Yes," was the reply.

 

"Can I see him?"

 

"He's just gone in to dinner."

 

"I only want to see him a minute."

 

"Mr. Chester don't like to be disturbed when he's at dinner. You can come round again in an hour."

 

Sam looked at Henry for advice.

 

"Tell Mr. Chester," said Henry, "that we have found something belonging to him, and wish to return it to him."

 

"You haven't found his ring?" said the servant, excited.

 

"Yes, we have; but we will only deliver it into his hands."

 

"Come right in. Just stand here in the hall, and I'll tell him."

 

Presently a pleasant-looking man of middle age came from the dining-room, and looked inquiringly from one to the other.

 

"Which is the boy that has my ring?" he asked.

 

"I'm the one," said Sam, promptly⁷.

 

"Show it to me, if you please."

 

"You promised a reward of twenty-five dollars," said Sam, with anxiety.

 

"Certainly. If the ring is mine, you shall have the reward."

 

Thereupon Sam produced the ring.

 

Mr. Chester received it with great satisfaction.

 

"Yes, it is the one," he said. "Where did you find it?"

 

Sam described the place as well as he could.

 

"So you saw my advertisement?"

 

"Yes, sir; a friend of mine read it to me this morning."

 

"Why didn't you bring it to my office before?"

 

Sam hesitated, but Henry said, in a low voice: "Tell the truth, Sam."

 

"The fact is," said he, "I pawned⁸ it, and it was some trouble for me to get it again."

 

"You pawned it! How much did you get on it?"

 

"Five dollars."

 

"Five dollars! Why, the ring cost six hundred dollars!"

 

Henry and Sam looked at each other in blank astonishment⁹. How could that little ring be worth so much?

 

"I am glad we didn't know how much it was worth," said Henry. "It would have made us feel nervous."

 

"I am surprised that the pawnbroker¹⁰ gave it back to you at all," said Mr. Chester. "He must have known something of its value."

 

"He didn't want to give it up. He said it was stolen, and he would call the police."

 

"What did you say, then?"

 

"Henry asked him if he thought it was stolen when I brought it to him, and he said yes. Then Henry threatened to have him taken up for receiving stolen goods."

 

"Good!" said Mr. Chester, laughing. "Your friend would make a good lawyer. At any rate, I am glad I have got it back. Have you had dinner, boys?"

 

"No, sir," answered Henry.

 

"Then come in and dine with me. My family are all away except my wife, and there is plenty of room."

 

"Thank you, sir," said Henry Martin. "We will accept your invitation."

 

"You can hang your hats up, and follow me."

 

Sam began to feel bashful, but he obeyed directions, and followed Mr. Chester into a handsome dining-room in the rear extension, where a lady was already sitting at one end of the table.

 

"I bring you two guests, Mrs. Chester," said her husband. "These two young gentlemen have brought me my diamond ring."

 

"You are, indeed, fortunate in recovering it," said his wife. "Young gentlemen, you can sit, one on this side, the other opposite. I think, John, you will have to introduce them by name."

 

"Really, that is more than I can do," said the lawyer, laughing.

 

"My name is Henry Martin," said Henry, who was perfectly¹¹ self-possessed.

 

"Mine is Sam Barker," said the young outlaw¹².

 

"Shall I send you some soup, Mr. Martin?"

 

"Yes, thank you."

 

"And you, Mr. Barker?"

 

Sam stared and wanted to laugh. It seemed so droll¹³ to be called "Mr. Barker," but he managed to answer properly.

 

Mr. Chester was a man of some humor, and he enjoyed Sam's evident embarrassment¹⁴. He took pains to be ceremoniously polite. Sam, who was used to the free and easy ways of a restaurant, hardly knew how to act. Henry Martin, though now thrown upon his own exertions¹⁵, had been well brought up, and betrayed no awkwardness.

 

At the close of the meal, to which Sam, despite his bashfulness, did full justice, Mr. Chester opened his pocket-book and produced twenty-five dollars in bills.

 

"Is this to be divided between you?" he inquired.

 

"No, sir," said Henry; "Sam found the ring. It is all for him."

 

"Allow me to offer you five dollars, also," said the lawyer, who was pleased with Henry's manner.

 

"Thank you, sir, I would rather not take it."

 

"At all events, if I can ever be of any service to you, let me know."

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

Soon afterward¹⁶ the boys left the house.

1 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。

2 consequentially   

adv.必然地

参考例句：

• In the construction of hydroelectric power station, eco-environment will be consequentially destroyed to some extent. 在水电站建设中，生态环境必然遭到一定程度的破坏。 来自互联网
• It was because of these subjective and objective reasons that it consequentially retreated from the history. 正是由于这些主观和客观的原因，注定它必然要退出历史舞台。 来自互联网

3 trespass   

n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地

参考例句：

• The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
• The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。

4 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。

5 neophyte   

n.新信徒；开始者

参考例句：

• The neophyte began to stammer out a reply,but fell silent.新门徒嗫嚅了两句，然后沉默了。
• He is a neophyte at politics.他是个初涉政界的人。

6 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

7 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。

8 pawned   

v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• He pawned his gold watch to pay the rent. 他抵当了金表用以交租。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has redeemed her pawned jewellery. 她赎回了当掉的珠宝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

10 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。

11 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。

12 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

13 droll   

adj.古怪的，好笑的

参考例句：

• The band have a droll sense of humour.这个乐队有一种滑稽古怪的幽默感。
• He looked at her with a droll sort of awakening.他用一种古怪的如梦方醒的神情看着她.

14 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

15 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

16 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。