CHAPTER VIII. KIT'S RIDE TO OAKFORD.

 Oakford was six miles away. The blacksmith's horse was seventeen years old, and did not make very good speed. Kit¹ was unusually busy thinking. He had taken a decisive step; he had, in fact, made up his mind to enter upon a new life. He had not objected to going away with the blacksmith, because it gave him an excuse for packing up his clothes, and leaving the house quietly.

 

It may be objected that he had deceived Mr. Bickford. This was true, and the thought of it troubled him, but he hardly knew how to explain matters.

 

Not much conversation took place till they were within a mile of Oakford. Aaron Bickford had filled his pipe at the beginning of the journey, and he had smoked steadily² ever since. At last he removed his pipe from his mouth, and put it in his pocket.

 

"Were you ever in Oakford?" he asked.[Pg 40]

 

"Yes," answered Kit. "I know the place very well."

 

"How do you think you'll like livin' there?"

 

"I don't think I shall like it."

 

Mr. Bickford looked surprised.

 

"I'll keep you at work so stiddy you won't mind where you are," he remarked dryly.

 

"Not if I know it," Kit said to himself.

 

He knew Mr. Bickford by reputation. He was a close-fisted, miserly man, who was not likely to be a very desirable employer, for he expected every one who worked for him to labor³ as hard as himself. Moreover, he and his wife lived in a very stingy manner, and few of the luxuries of the season appeared on their table. The fact that complaints upon this score had been made by some of Kit's predecessors⁴ in his employ, led Mr. Bickford to make inquiries⁵ with a view to ascertaining⁶ whether Kit was particular about his food.

 

"Are you partic'lar about your vittles?" he asked abruptly⁷.

 

"I have been accustomed to good food," answered Kit.

 

"You can't expect to live as you have at your uncle's," continued the blacksmith. "Me and my wife have enough to eat, but we think it best to eat plain food. Some of my help have had stuck up notions, and expected first class hotel fare, but they didn't get it at my house."

 

"I believe you," said Kit.

 

Mr. Bickford eyed him sharply, not being sure but this might be a sarcastic⁸ observation, but Kit's face was straight, and betrayed nothing.

 

"You'll live as well as I do myself," he proceeded, after a pause. "I don't pamper⁹ my appetite by no means."[Pg 41]

 

Kit was quite ready to believe this also, but did not say so.

 

"What time did you get up at your uncle's?" asked the blacksmith.

 

"We have breakfast a little before eight. I get up in time for breakfast."

 

"You do, hey?" ejaculated the blacksmith, scornfully. "Wa'al, I declare! You must be tuckered out gettin' up so airly."

 

"O no, I stand it very well, Mr. Bickford," said Kit, amused.

 

"Do you know what time I get up?" asked Mr. Bickford, with a touch of indignation in his tone.

 

"I would like to know," answered Kit meekly¹⁰.

 

"Wa'al, I get up at five o'clock. What do you say to that, hey?"

 

"I think it is very early."

 

"I suppose you couldn't get up so early as that?"

 

"I might, if there was any need of it."

 

"I reckon there will be need of it if you're goin' to work for me."

 

Kit cleared his throat. He felt that the time had come for an explanation.

 

"Mr. Bickford," he said, "I owe you an apology."

 

"What?" said Bickford, regarding his young companion in surprise.

 

"I have deceived you."

 

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

 

"I don't think I did right to come with you to day."

 

"I can't make out what you're talkin' about. Your uncle has engaged to let you work for me."

 

"But I haven't engaged to work for you, Mr. Bickford."

 

"Hey?" and the blacksmith eyed our hero in undisguised amazement¹¹.[Pg 42]

 

"I may as well say that I don't intend to work for you."

 

"You don't mean to work for me?" repeated Bickford slowly.

 

"Just so. I have no intention of becoming a blacksmith."

 

"Is the boy crazy?" ejaculated Aaron Bickford.

 

"No, Mr. Bickford; I have full command of my senses. You will have to look out for another apprentice¹²."

 

"Then why did you agree to come with me?"

 

"That is what I have to apologize for. I wanted to get away from my uncle's house quietly, and I thought it the best way to pretend to agree to his plan."

 

Aaron Bickford was not a sweet tempered man. He had a pretty strong will of his own, and was called, not without reason, obstinate¹³. He began to feel angry.

 

"Well, boy, have you got through with what you had to say?" he asked.

 

"I believe so—for the present."

 

"Then I guess it's about time for me to say something."

 

"Very well, sir."

 

"You'll find me a tough customer to deal with, young man."

 

"Then perhaps it is just as well that I do not propose to work for you."

 

"But you are goin' to work for me!" said the blacksmith, nodding his head.

 

"Whether I want to or not?" interrogated¹⁴ Kit, placidly¹⁵.

 

"Yes, whether you want to or not, willy nilly, as the lawyers say."[Pg 43]

 

"I think, Mr. Bickford, you will find that it takes two to make a bargain."

 

"So it does, and there's two that's made this bargain, your uncle and me."

 

Mr. Bickford was not always strictly¹⁶ grammatical in his language, as the reader will observe.

 

"I don't admit my uncle's right to make arrangements for me without my consent."

 

"You know more'n he does, I reckon?"

 

"No, but this matter concerns me more than it does him."

 

"Maybe you expect to live without workin'!"

 

"No; if it is true, as my uncle says, that I have no money, I shall have to make my living, but I prefer to choose my own way of doing it."

 

"You're a queer boy. Bein' a blacksmith is too much work for you, I reckon."

 

"At any rate it isn't the kind of work I care to undertake."

 

"What's all this rigmarole comin' to? Here we are 'most at my house. If you ain't goin' to work for me, what are you goin' to do?"

 

"I should like to pass the night at your house, Mr. Bickford. After breakfast I will pay you for your accommodations, and go——"

 

"Where?"

 

"You must excuse my telling you that. I have formed some plans, but I do not care to have my uncle know them."

 

"Are you going to work for anybody?" asked the blacksmith, whose curiosity was aroused.

 

"Yes, I have a place secured."

 

"Is it on a farm?"

 

"No."

 

"You're mighty¹⁷ mysterious, it seems to me. Now you've had your say, I've got something to tell you."[Pg 44]

 

"Very well, Mr. Bickford."

 

"You say you're not goin' to work for me?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Then I say you are goin' to work for me. I've got your uncle's authority to set you to work, and I'm goin' to do it."

 

Kit heard this calmly.

 

"Suppose we postpone¹⁸ the discussion of the matter," he said. "Is that your house?"

 

Aaron Bickford's answer was to drive into the yard of a cottage. On the side opposite was a blacksmith's forge.

 

"That's where you're goin' to work!" he said, grimly, pointing to the forge.

1 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 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。

4 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 ascertaining   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind. 我当时是要弄清楚地下室是朝前还是朝后延伸的。 来自辞典例句
• The design and ascertaining of permanent-magnet-biased magnetic bearing parameter are detailed introduced. 并对永磁偏置磁悬浮轴承参数的设计和确定进行了详细介绍。 来自互联网

7 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

8 sarcastic   

adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的

参考例句：

• I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
• She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

9 pamper   

v.纵容，过分关怀

参考例句：

• Don't pamper your little daughter.别把你的小女儿娇坏了！
• You need to pamper yourself and let your charm come through.你需要对自己放纵一些来表现你的魅力。

10 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

13 obstinate   

adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的

参考例句：

• She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
• The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

14 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 placidly   

adv.平稳地，平静地

参考例句：

• Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时，赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

16 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

17 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

18 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。