CHAPTER IV. TOM ASKS LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

 Tom walked home slowly, but the distance seemed short, for he was absorbed in thought. In a way very unexpected he seemed to be likely to realize what he had regarded as a very pleasant, but impossible, dream. Would his father consent to the squire¹'s proposal, and, if so, ought Tom to consent to expose him to the risk of losing so considerable a sum of money? If he had been older and more cautious he would probably have decided² in the negative; but Tom was hopeful and sanguine³, and the stories he had heard of California had dazzled him. There was, of course, an element of uncertainty⁴ in his calculations, but the fact[26] that there seemed to be no prospect⁵ before him in his native village had an important influence in shaping his decision.

 

To ask his father the momentous⁶ question, however, was not easy, and he delayed it, hoping for a favorable opportunity of introducing the subject. His thoughtful manner excited attention, and secured him the opportunity he sought.

 

"You seem deep in thought, Tom," said his mother.

 

"Yes, mother, I have a good deal to think about."

 

"Anybody would think Tom overwhelmed with business," said Walter, next to Tom in age, with good-humored banter⁷.

 

"I am," said Tom gravely.

 

"Won't you take me in partnership⁸, then?" asked Walter.

 

Tom smiled.

 

"I don't think I could do that," he answered. "Not to keep you waiting, Squire Hudson has made me a business proposal this afternoon."

 

All were surprised and looked to Tom for an explanation.

 

"He offers to advance me two hundred dollars[27] for a year, to help me out to California."

 

"Squire Hudson makes this offer to a boy of your age?" said his father slowly.

 

"Yes, or rather he makes the offer to you."

 

"To me?"

 

"Perhaps you will think me selfish for even mentioning it," said Tom rapidly, in a hurry to explain fully⁹ now that the ice was broken. "He will advance the money, on condition that you increase the mortgage on the farm to twenty-two hundred dollars."

 

Mr. Nelson looked blank.

 

"Do you know, Tom," he said, "how hard I find it now to pay the interest on the mortgage, and how hopeless I am of ever paying it off?"

 

"I know all that, father; but I want to help you. If I keep my health, and have a chance, I think I can help you. There's no chance for me here, and there is a chance in California. You remember what we have read in the Weekly Messenger about the gold-fields, and what large sums have been realized by miners."

 

"They are men, and you are a boy."

 

"That's true," said Tom, "but," he added, with natural pride, "I am pretty strong for a boy. I am willing to work, and I don't see[28] why I can't dig gold as well as a man. I may not make as much, but if I only do half as well as some that we have read about, I can do a good deal for you."

 

"How far off is California?" asked Mrs. Nelson.

 

"Over three thousand miles, across the continent," answered her husband. "By sea it is a good deal more."

 

"Why, it is as far off as Europe," said Walter, who was fresh from his lesson in geography.

 

"It is farther than some parts of Europe—England, for example," said his father.

 

"And a wild, unsettled region," said Mrs. Nelson soberly.

 

"I don't think so much of that," said Mark Nelson. "Tom is no baby. He is a boy of good sense, not heedless, like some of his age, and I should feel considerable confidence in his getting along well."

 

"What, Mark, are you in favor of his going so far—a boy who has never been away from home in his life?"

 

"I don't know what to say. I have not had time to consider the matter, as it has come upon me suddenly. I have a good deal of confidence[29] in Tom, but there is one difficulty in my mind."

 

"What is that, father?" asked Tom anxiously.

 

"The expense of getting to California, and the method of raising the money; I don't like to increase the mortgage."

 

"I suppose you are right, father," said Tom slowly. "I know it is more than I have any right to ask. I wouldn't even have mentioned it if I hadn't hoped to help you to pay it back."

 

"That is understood, Tom," said his father kindly¹⁰. "I know you mean what you say, and that you would redeem¹¹ your promise if fortune, or rather Providence¹², permitted. It is a serious matter, however, and not to be decided in a hurry. We will speak of it again."

 

Nothing more was said about Tom's plan till after the children had gone to bed. Then, as Mark Nelson and his wife sat before the fire in the open fireplace, the subject was taken up anew.

 

"Mary," said Mark, "I am beginning to think favorably of Tom's proposal."

 

"How can you say so, Mark?" interrupted his wife. "It seems like madness to send a young boy so far away."[30]

 

"Tom can't be called a young boy; he is now sixteen."

 

"But he has never been away from home."

 

"He must go some time."

 

"If it were only to Boston or New York; but to go more than three thousand miles away!" and the mother shuddered¹³.

 

"There are dangers as great in Boston or New York as in California, Mary, to a boy of Tom's age. He can't always be surrounded by home influences."

 

"I wish we could find employment for him in town," said Mrs. Nelson uneasily.

 

"That is a mother's thought, and it would be pleasant for all of us; but I doubt if it would be better for Tom."

 

"Why not?"

 

"A boy who is thrown upon his own guardianship¹⁴ and his own resources develops manliness¹⁵ and self-reliance sooner than at home. But we need not take that into consideration; there is nothing to do here, nor is there likely to be. He must go away from home to find employment. To obtain a place in Boston or New York requires influence and friends in those places; and we can hope for neither. In California he will become his own employer.[31] The gold-mines are open to all, and he may earn in a year as much as he could in five years in the East."

 

"Do you favor his going, then, Mark?"

 

"Not against your will, Mary. Indeed, I should not feel justified¹⁶ in increasing the mortgage upon our little property against your wish. That concerns us all."

 

"I don't think so much of that. I am so afraid Tom would get sick in California. What would become of the poor boy in that case?"

 

"That is a mother's thought. I think Tom would find friends, who would not let him suffer. He is a manly¹⁷, attractive boy, though he is ours, and I think he is well calculated to make his way."

 

"That he is," said his mother proudly. "No one can help liking¹⁸ Tom."

 

"Then you see he is likely to find friends. Were he such a boy as Sinclair Hudson, I should feel afraid that he would fare badly, if he stood in need of help from others. Sinclair is certainly a very disagreeable boy."

 

"Yes, he is; and he isn't half as smart as Tom."

 

"A mother's vanity," said Mark Nelson,[32] smiling. "However, you are right there. I should consider it a misfortune to have such a cross-grained, selfish son as Sinclair. Squire Hudson, with all his wealth, is not fortunate in his only child. There is considerable resemblance between father and son. I often wish that some one else than the squire held the mortgage on our farm."

 

"You don't think he would take advantage of you?"

 

"I don't think he would be very lenient¹⁹ to me if I failed to pay interest promptly²⁰. He has a grudge²¹ against me, you know."

 

"That is nonsense," said Mrs. Nelson, blushing, for she understood the allusion²².

 

"I am glad he doesn't ask me to give him a mortgage on you, Mary."

 

"He has forgotten all that," said Mrs. Nelson. "I am no longer young and pretty."

 

"I think you more attractive than ever," said the husband.

 

"Because you are foolish," said his wife; but she was well pleased, nevertheless. Poor as her husband was, she had never dreamed of regretting her choice.

 

"Be it so; but about this affair of Tom—what shall I say to him in the morning?"[33]

 

Mrs. Nelson recovered her gravity instantly.

 

"Decide as you think right, Mark," she said. "If you judge that Tom had better go I will do my best to become reconciled to his absence, and set about getting him ready."

 

"It is a great responsibility, Mary," said Mark slowly; "but I accept it. Let the boy go, if he wishes. He will leave our care, but we can trust him to the care of his heavenly Father, who will be as near to him in California as at home."

 

Thus Tom's future was decided. His father and mother retired²³ to bed, but not to sleep. They were parting already in imagination with their first-born, and the thought of that parting was sad indeed.

1 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。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 sanguine   

adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的

参考例句：

• He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
• He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

7 banter   

n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑

参考例句：

• The actress exchanged banter with reporters.女演员与记者相互开玩笑。
• She engages in friendly banter with her customers.她常和顾客逗乐。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

11 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

12 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

13 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 guardianship   

n. 监护, 保护, 守护

参考例句：

• They had to employ the English language in face of the jealous guardianship of Britain. 他们不得不在英国疑忌重重的监护下使用英文。
• You want Marion to set aside her legal guardianship and give you Honoria. 你要马丽恩放弃她的法定监护人资格，把霍诺丽娅交给你。

15 manliness   

刚毅

参考例句：

• She was really fond of his strength, his wholesome looks, his manliness. 她真喜欢他的坚强，他那健康的容貌，他的男子气概。
• His confidence, his manliness and bravery, turn his wit into wisdom. 他的自信、男子气概和勇敢将他的风趣变为智慧。

16 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

17 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。

18 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

19 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

20 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。

21 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

22 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

23 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。