CHAPTER XXXVI. AN IMPORTANT INTERVIEW.

 "A gentleman to see you, sir." This was the message brought to Stephen Ray by the servant one morning.

 

"Did he give his name?"

 

"No, sir."

 

"Very well; bring him up."

 

Mr. Ray was sitting at the desk in his library. He was looking over some plans for the improvement of his already handsome residence.

 

He proposed to enlarge a lower room by a bay-window, and to carry the piazza¹ round on each side. It would cost something, but his income was ample--at least four times his expenditure².

 

He looked up as a handsomely dressed gentleman entered the room.

 

"What is your business, sir?" asked Stephen Ray, formally.

 

The visitor smiled.

 

"You don't recognize me, Stephen Ray?" he said.

 

"Benjamin Bolton!" exclaimed the other, his countenance³ changing.

 

"The same."

 

"I judge from your appearance that your circumstances have improved," said Mr. Ray, coldly.

 

"Fortunately, yes."

 

"You have probably come to receive my congratulations. Well, I congratulate you."

 

"Thank you. The money you kindly⁴ loaned me when I was last here did me a great deal of good."

 

"I presume you have come to repay it," said Ray, with a sneer⁵.

 

"You are right," and Bolton drew from his pocket two fifty-dollar bills, which he tendered to his host.

 

Stephen Ray was fond of money, and he received the notes with satisfaction.

 

"You have acted honorably," he said more graciously. "Are you located in the neighborhood, Mr. Bolton?"

 

"No, in New York City. I am in a law office there."

 

"I am pleased with your success. I would ask you to remain, but I am busy this morning."

 

"Excuse me, Mr. Ray, but the repayment⁶ of the loan was not my only errand. I am here on more important business."

 

Stephen Ray's countenance changed. He began to fear that Bolton had found Ernest.

 

"Well?" he said stiffly.

 

"When I was here last year you told me that Dudley Ray's son Ernest was dead."

 

"Yes, he died in Alabama."

 

"When I was here before you told me he died in Georgia."

 

"I believe it was in Georgia," said Stephen Ray, disconcerted.

 

"You will be glad to hear that it is a mistake--about his death, I mean. He is as much alive as you are."

 

"Mr. Bolton," said Ray angrily, "you are trying to impose upon me. The boy is dead, I tell you."

 

"And I tell you he is not dead. I saw him only yesterday."

 

"You may have seen some one who pretended to be Ernest Ray."

 

"I should not be easily deceived. He is the image of his father."

 

"I don't believe the boy is alive."

 

"Shall I bring him here?"

 

"You need not trouble yourself. I can have nothing to say to him, whether he is really Ernest Ray or an impostor."

 

"I beg your pardon. If he is Ernest Ray, under the will which I have in my possession he is the owner of this property."

 

Bolton spoke⁷ firmly, and looked Ray resolutely⁸ in the eye.

 

Stephen Ray flushed and then paled. There was a great fear in his heart, but he resolved to brave it out.

 

"This is a base conspiracy," he ejaculated. "Your share in it ought to land you in State's prison."

 

"I am willing to take my chance of it," said the lawyer calmly. "Didn't you recognize the boy when you saw him?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"You saw him in the hotel at Buffalo⁹. He recognized you, and had a conversation with your son."

 

"Had a conversation with Clarence? That is a lie. Clarence never spoke to me about it."

 

"You had better question him. But there is no need of sparring. I tell you confidently that Ernest Ray is alive, and demands the estate which you hold, under his grandfather's will."

 

"This is simply ridiculous. Of course there is but one answer to such a proposal."

 

"And what is that?"

 

"I refuse absolutely to make any concession¹⁰ to an impostor."

 

"That is your final answer?"

 

"It is."

 

"Then I give you notice that the boy will at once bring suit for the restoration of the estate and the vindication¹¹ of his rights."

 

"I suppose you are his lawyer," sneered¹² Ray.

 

"The firm with which I am connected has undertaken the case."

 

"What is the firm?" asked Stephen Ray, with an anxiety which he could not conceal¹³.

 

"Norcross & Co.," answered Bolton.

 

Great drops of perspiration¹⁴ appeared on the brow of Stephen Ray. He knew very well the high reputation and uniform success of the firm in question.

 

He did not immediately answer, but began to pace the room in agitation¹⁵. Finally he spoke.

 

"I don't know what to say. This has come upon me as a surprise. I thought the boy dead. I may be willing to make some arrangement. Bring him here some day next week say Tuesday and we will talk the matter over."

 

"You must do something more than talk the matter over, Stephen Ray. A great injustice¹⁶ has been done, and the wrong must be righted."

 

"Come here next Tuesday," was the only answer made.

 

The lawyer bowed and withdrew.

1 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

2 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

3 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

4 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。

5 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

6 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

7 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。

8 resolutely   

adj.坚决地，果断地

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

9 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

10 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

11 vindication   

n.洗冤，证实

参考例句：

• There is much to be said in vindication of his claim.有很多理由可以提出来为他的要求作辩护。
• The result was a vindication of all our efforts.这一结果表明我们的一切努力是必要的。

12 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

13 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

14 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

15 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

16 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。