CHAPTER VIII — MISS SPRAGUE DISCOVERS A SECRET

 About this time it became known to one person in the village that the Larkins had in their possession a tin box, contents unknown.

 

This is the way it happened:

 

Among the best-known village residents was Miss Melinda Sprague, a maiden¹ lady, who took a profound interest in the affairs of her neighbors. She seldom went beyond the limits of Groveton, which was her world. She had learned the business of dressmaking, and often did work at home for her customers. She was of a curious and prying² disposition³, and nothing delighted her more than to acquire the knowledge of a secret.

 

One day—a few days after Florence Grant's party—Mrs. Larkin was in her own chamber⁴. She had the trunk open, having occasion to take something from it, when, with a light step, Miss Sprague entered the room. The widow, who was on her knees before the trunk, turning, recognized the intruder, not without displeasure.

 

"I hope you'll excuse my coming in so unceremoniously, Mrs. Larkin," said Melinda, effusively⁵. "I knocked, but you didn't hear it, being upstairs, and I took the liberty, being as we were so well acquainted, to come upstairs in search of you."

 

"Yes, certainly," answered Mrs. Larkin, but her tone was constrained⁶.

 

She quickly shut the lid of the trunk. There was only one thing among its contents which she was anxious to hide, but that Miss Melinda's sharp eyes had already discovered. Unfortunately, the tin box was at one side, in plain sight.

 

"What on earth does Mrs. Larkin do with a tin box?" she asked herself, with eager curiosity. "Can she have property that people don't know of? I always thought she was left poor."

 

Melinda asked no questions. The sudden closing of the trunk showed her that the widow would not be inclined to answer any questions.

 

"I won't let her think I saw anything," she said to herself. "Perhaps she'll get anxious and refer to it."

 

"We will go downstairs, Melinda," said Mrs. Larkin. "It will be more comfortable."

 

"If you have anything to do up here, I beg you won't mind me," said the spinster.

 

"No, I have nothing that won't wait."

 

So the two went down into the sitting-room⁷.

 

"And how is Luke?" asked Miss Sprague, in a tone of friendly interest.

 

"Very well, thank you."

 

"Luke was always a great favorite of mine," continued the spinster. "Such a manly⁸ boy as he is!"

 

"He is a great help to me," said Mrs. Larkin.

 

"No doubt he is. He takes care of the schoolhouse, doesn't he?"

 

"Yes."

 

"How much pay does he get?"

 

"A dollar a week."

 

"I hope he will be able to keep the position."

 

"What do you mean, Melinda?" asked the widow, not without anxiety.

 

"You know Doctor Snodgrass has resigned on the school committee, and Squire⁹ Duncan has been elected in his place."

 

"Well?"

 

"Mrs. Flanagan went to him yesterday to ask to have her son Tim appointed janitor¹⁰ in place of Luke, and I heard that she received considerable encouragement from the squire."

 

"Do they find any fault with Luke?" asked Mrs. Larkin, jealously.

 

"No, not as I've heard; but Mrs. Flanagan said Luke had had it for a year, and now some one else ought to have the chance."

 

"Are you quite sure of this, Melinda?"

 

Miss Sprague, though over forty, was generally called by her first name, not as a tribute to her youth, but to the fact of her being still unmarried.

 

"Yes, I am; I had it from Mrs. Flanagan herself."

 

"I don't think Tim would do as well as Luke. He has never been able to keep a place yet."

 

"Just so; but, of course, his mother thinks him a polygon¹¹." Probably Miss Sprague meant a paragon—she was not very careful in her speech, but Mrs. Larkin did not smile at her mistake. She was too much troubled at the news she had just heard. A dollar a week may seem a ridiculous trifle to some of my readers, but, where the entire income of the family was so small, it was a matter of some consequence.

 

"I don't think Luke has heard anything of this," said the widow. "He has not mentioned it to me."

 

"Perhaps there won't be any change, after all," said Melinda. "I am sure Tim Flanagan wouldn't do near as well as Luke."

 

Miss Melinda was not entirely¹² sincere. She had said to Mrs. Flanagan that she quite agreed with her that Luke had been janitor long enough, and hoped Tim would get the place. She was in the habit of siding with the person she chanced to be talking with at the moment, and this was pretty well understood.

 

Luke, however, had heard of this threatened removal. For this, it may be said, Randolph was partly responsible. Just after Mrs. Flanagan's call upon the squire to solicit¹³ his official influence, Prince Duncan mentioned the matter to his son.

 

"How long has Luke Larkin been janitor at the schoolhouse?" he asked.

 

"About a year. Why do you ask?"

 

"Does he attend to the duties pretty well?"

 

"I suppose so. He's just fit to make fires and sweep the floor," answered Randolph, his lip curling.

 

"Mrs. Flanagan has been here to ask me to appoint her son Tim in Luke's place."

 

"You'd better do it, pa," said Randolph, quickly.

 

"Why? You say Luke is well fitted for the position."

 

"Oh, anybody could do as well, but Luke puts on airs. He feels too big for his position."

 

"I suppose Mrs. Larkin needs the money."

 

"So does Mrs. Flanagan," said Randolph.

 

"What sort of a boy is Tim? I have heard that he is lazy."

 

"Oh, I guess he'll do. Of course, I am not well acquainted with a boy like him," said the young aristocrat¹⁴. "But I'm quite disgusted with Luke. He was at Florence Grant's party the other evening, and was cheeky enough to ask her to dance with him."

 

"Did she do so?"

 

"Yes; I suppose it was out of pity. He ought to have known better than to attend a party with such a suit. His coat and pantaloons were both too small for him, but he flourished around as if he were fashionably dressed."

 

Squire Duncan made no reply to his son's comments, but he felt disposed, for reasons of his own, to appoint Tim Flanagan. He was hoping to be nominated for representative at the next election, and thought the appointment might influence the Irish vote in his favor.

 

"Shall you appoint Tim, pa?" asked Randolph.

 

"I think it probable. It seems only right to give him a chance. Rotation¹⁵ in office is a principle of which I approve."

 

"That's good!" thought Randolph, with a smile of gratification. "It isn't a very important place, but Luke will be sorry to lose it. The first time I see him I will give him a hint of it."

 

Randolph met Luke about an hour later in the village street. He did not often stop to speak with our hero, but this time he had an object in doing so.

1 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

2 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

4 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。

5 effusively   

adv.变溢地，热情洋溢地

参考例句：

• We were effusively welcomed by the patron and his wife. 我们受到老板和他妻子的热忱欢迎。 来自辞典例句
• The critics praised her effusively. 评论家们热情洋溢地表扬了她。 来自互联网

6 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

7 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

8 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

9 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

10 janitor   

n.看门人，管门人

参考例句：

• The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。
• The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。

11 polygon   

n.多边形；多角形

参考例句：

• A polygon with ten sides is a decagon.十条边的形状叫十边形。
• He conceived the first proof that the 17-sided polygon is constructible.他构思了17边形可以作图的第一个证明。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

14 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。

15 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。