CHAPTER XVI — LUKE'S VISIT TO NEW YORK

 The morning train to New York carried among its passengers Luke and his new friend. The distance was thirty-five miles, and the time occupied was a trifle over an hour. The two sat together, and Luke had an opportunity of observing his companion more closely. He was a man of middle age, dark complexion¹, with keen black eyes, and the expression of one who understood the world and was well fitted to make his way in it. He had already given the Larkins to understand that he had been successful in accumulating money.

 

As for Luke, he felt happy and contented². The tide of fortune seemed to have turned in his favor, or rather in favor of his family. The handsome weekly sum which would be received for the board of Mr. Reed's little daughter would be sufficient of itself to defray the modest expenses of their household. If he, too, could obtain work, they would actually feel rich.

 

"Luke," said his companion, "does your mother own the cottage where you live?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Free of incumbrance?"

 

"Not quite. There is a mortgage of three hundred dollars held by Squire³ Duncan. It was held by Deacon Tibbetts, but about three months since Squire Duncan bought it."

 

"What could be his object in buying it?"

 

"I don't know, sir. Perhaps the deacon owed him money."

 

"I am surprised, then, that he deprived you of your position as janitor⁴, since it would naturally make it more difficult for you to meet the interest."

 

"That is true, sir. I wondered at it myself."

 

"Your house is a small one, but the location is fine. It would make a building lot suitable for a gentleman's summer residence."

 

"Yes, sir; there was a gentleman in the village last summer who called upon mother and tried to induce her to sell."

 

"Did he offer her a fair price?"

 

"No, sir; he said he should have to take down the cottage, and he only offered eight hundred dollars. Mother would have sold for a thousand."

 

"Tell her not to accept even that offer, but to hold on to the property. Some day she can obtain considerably⁵ more."

 

"She won't sell unless she is obliged to," replied Luke. "A few days since I thought we might have to do it. Now, with the generous sum which you allow for your little girl's board there will be no necessity."

 

"Has Squire Duncan broached⁶ the subject to your mother?"

 

"He mentioned it one day, but he wanted her to sell for seven hundred dollars."

 

"He is evidently sharp at a bargain."

 

"Yes, sir; he is not considered liberal."

 

There was one thing that troubled Luke in spite of the pleasure he anticipated from his visit to New York. He knew very well that his clothes were shabby, and he shrank from the idea of appearing on Broadway in a patched suit too small for him. But he had never breathed a word of complaint to his mother, knowing that she could not afford to buy him another suit, and he did not wish to add to her troubles. It might have happened that occasionally he fixed⁷ a troubled look on his clothes, but if Roland Reed noticed it he did not make any comment.

 

But when they reached New York, and found themselves on Broadway, his companion paused in front of a large clothing store with large plate-glass windows, and said, quietly: "Come in, Luke. I think you need some new clothes."

 

Luke's face flushed with pleasure, but he said, "I have no money, Mr. Reed."

 

"I have," said Roland Reed, significantly.

 

"You are very kind, sir," said Luke, gratefully.

 

"It costs little to be kind when you have more money than you know what to do with," said Reed. "I don't mean that I am a Vanderbilt or an Astor, but my income is much greater than I need to spend on myself."

 

A suit was readily found which fitted Luke as well as if it had been made for him. It was of gray mixed cloth, made in fashionable style.

 

"You may as well keep it on, Luke." Then to the shopman: "Have you a nice suit of black cloth, and of the same size?"

 

"Yes, sir," answered the salesman, readily.

 

"He may as well have two while we are about it. As to the old suit, it is too small, and we will leave it here to be given away to some smaller boy."

 

Luke was quite overwhelmed by his new friend's munificence⁸.

 

"I don't think mother will know me," he said, as he surveyed himself in a long mirror.

 

"Then I will introduce you or give you a letter of introduction. Have you a watch, Luke?"

 

"No, sir; you know I did not get the prize at the skating match."

 

"True; then I must remedy the deficiency."

 

They took the roadway stage down below the Astor House—it was before the days of Jacob Sharp's horse railway—and got out at Benedict's. There Mr. Reed made choice of a neat silver watch, manufactured at Waltham, and bought a plated chain to go with it.

 

"Put that in your vest pocket," he said. "It may console you for the loss of the Waterbury."

 

"How can I ever repay you for your kindness, Mr. Reed?" said Luke, overjoyed.

 

"I have taken a fancy to you, Luke," said his companion. "I hope to do more for you soon. Now we will go uptown, and I will put my little girl under your charge."

 

Luke had dreaded⁹ making a call at a nice city house in his old suit. Now he looked forward to it with pleasure, especially after his new friend completed his benefactions by buying him a new pair of shoes and a hat.

 

"Luke," asked his companion, as they were on their way uptown in a Sixth Avenue car, "do you know who owned the box of bonds taken from the Groveton Bank?"

 

"I have heard that it was a Mr. Armstrong, now traveling in Europe."

 

"How did he come to leave the box in a village bank?"

 

"He is some acquaintance of Squire Duncan, and spent some weeks last summer at the village hotel."

 

"Then probably he left the box there at the suggestion of Duncan, the president."

 

"I don't know, sir, but I think it very likely."

 

"Humph! This is getting interesting. The contents of the box were government bonds, I have heard."

 

"I heard Squire Duncan say so."

 

"Were they coupon¹⁰ or registered?"

 

"What difference would that make, sir?"

 

"The first could be sold without trouble by the thief, while the last could not be disposed of without a formal transfer from the owner."

 

"Then it would not pay to steal them?"

 

"Just so. Luke, do you know, a strange idea has come into my head."

 

"What is it, sir?"

 

"I think Prince Duncan knows more about how those bonds were spirited away than is suspected."

 

Luke was greatly surprised.

 

"You don't think he took them himself, do you?" he asked.

 

"That remains¹¹ to be seen. It is a curious affair altogether. I may have occasion to speak of it another time. Are you a good writer?"

 

"Fair, I believe, sir."

 

"I have recently come into possession of a business in a city in Ohio, which I carry on through a paid agent. Among other things, I have bought out the old accounts. I shall need to have a large number of bills made out, covering a series of years, which I shall then put into the hands of a collector and realize so far as I can. This work, with a little instruction, I think you can do."

 

"I shall be very glad to do it, sir."

 

"You will be paid fairly for the labor¹²."

 

"I don't need any pay, Mr. Reed. You have already paid me handsomely."

 

"You refer to the clothing and the watch? Those are gifts. I will pay you thirty cents an hour for the time employed, leaving you to keep the account. The books of the firm I have at the house where my daughter is boarding. You will take them back to Groveton with you."

 

"This is a fortunate day for me," said Luke. "It will pay me much better than the janitorship."

 

"Do your duty, Luke, and your good fortune will continue. But here is our street."

 

They left the car at the corner of Fourteenth Street and Sixth Avenue, and turning westward¹³, paused in front of a four-story house of good appearance.

 

1 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。

2 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

3 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。

4 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。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 broached   

v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体

参考例句：

• She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句
• He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句

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 munificence   

n.宽宏大量，慷慨给与

参考例句：

• He is kindness and munificence by nature. 他天生既仁慈又宽宏大量。 来自辞典例句
• He is not only kindness but also munificence. 他天生既仁慈又宽宏大量。 来自互联网

9 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

10 coupon   

n.息票，配给票，附单

参考例句：

• The coupon can be used once only.此优惠券只限使用一次。
• I have a coupon for ten pence off a packet of soap.我有一张优惠券买一盒肥皂可以便宜十便士。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

13 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。