CHAPTER XXXIX. A THIEF FOILED.

 Until that moment Denton had not taken the trouble to notice the face of his roommate. He had only observed that he was a boy.

The recognition was mutual¹, and it is hard to tell who was the more surprised.

"The train boy, as I'm a sinner!" ejaculated Denton, in amazement².

"Luke Denton!" ejaculated Paul in turn.

"How came you here?" asked the man.

"What are you doing with my carpet-bag?" demanded Paul.

"Oh, bother!" returned Denton, defiantly³. "That's my business!"

"I should say that it was my business," retorted Paul.

"Where do you keep your money? I don't find any in the bag."

"I don't keep any there."

"Give me your pocket-book quick, youngster. I am hard up, and I must have money."

[Pg 266]As he spoke⁴ he advanced toward the bed.

"You can't have mine, Mr. Denton," said Paul. "When did you get out of jail?"

"Boy, do you want me to kill you?" demanded Denton, fiercely.

"No, and I sha'n't permit you to rob me either."

"Listen to me!" said Denton, rapidly. "I am a desperate man, as I have already told you. I have escaped from prison, but I have used up what money I had. I must have more. I don't forget that you were the means of sending me to prison, but if you will give me all the money you have about you, I will let you go this time."

"Suppose I refuse?" said Paul.

"Then I will strangle you first, and rob you afterward⁵," answered Luke Denton, wickedly.

As he spoke he moved nearer the bed, but he paused suddenly when Paul drew a revolver from beneath his pillow, and pointed⁶ it at him.

"Stop there, Mr. Luke Denton," he said, firmly. "I should be very unwilling⁷ to shoot you, but I mean to defend myself. One step nearer and I fire!"

"You wouldn't dare do it," said Denton, chafing⁸ with disappointment.

"You'd better not take the risk."

"I was only joking," said Denton. "I thought I would see if I could scare you. I'm going to bed."

[Pg 267]"Not in this room."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't go to bed in this room," repeated Paul. "This room is mine. I have a better claim to it than you, for I engaged it first."

"I do not feel safe in passing the night in your company."

"That is nothing to me."

"Listen, Luke Denton. Unless you leave this room at once I will ring the bell, summon the landlord, and denounce you as an escaped convict."

Luke Denton was so angry that, had he been armed, he might have fired at our hero, but his stock of money had been too limited to allow him to purchase a pistol.

"Nonsense!" he said. "I will do you no harm."

"Are you going?" asked Paul, still keeping him covered with his weapon.

There was no help for it. With a muttered execration⁹ Luke Denton left the room, and Paul, glad to be rid of him, locked the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.

It may be well to add here that Denton was not recaptured, but months afterward was shot in California by a miner whom he had robbed. It was a sad ending to a life which might have been honorably spent, for he was a man of excellent abilities and capacity, but[Pg 268] preferred the hazardous¹⁰ career of a thief to the more prosaic¹¹ paths of industry and honesty.

Next day Paul purchased a ticket for Chicago.

As he stood at the depot¹² waiting for his train his attention was drawn¹³ to the pale and sorrowful face of a woman who had just inquired the price of a ticket to Chicago, and, as if it were beyond her means, turned away with a deep sigh.

"Are you in trouble, madam?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "It is important for me to go to Chicago, but I have not money enough within five dollars."

"I will advance the money," said Paul, stirred with pity.

"God bless you, young man!" exclaimed the lady, fervently¹⁴. "You don't know how important it is for me to make this journey."

1 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

2 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

3 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 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。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 chafing   

n.皮肤发炎v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的现在分词 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒

参考例句：

• My shorts were chafing my thighs. 我的短裤把大腿磨得生疼。 来自辞典例句
• We made coffee in a chafing dish. 我们用暖锅烧咖啡。 来自辞典例句

9 execration   

n.诅咒，念咒，憎恶

参考例句：

• The sense of wrongs, the injustices, the oppression, extortion, and pillage of twenty years suddenly and found voice in a raucous howl of execration. 二十年来所深受的损害、压迫、勒索、掠夺和不公平的对待，一下子达到了最高峰，在一阵粗声粗气的谩骂叫嚣里发泄出来。 来自辞典例句

10 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

11 prosaic   

adj.单调的，无趣的

参考例句：

• The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。
• It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。

12 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。

13 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

14 fervently   

adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地

参考例句：

• "Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦，我真高兴！”她热烈地说道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊，我亲爱的，亲爱的，你明天也愿这样热烈地为我祝福么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记