CHAPTER VIII. A SCHEMING NEPHEW.

 WHEN Robert left the ring, the old man sank back into his seat, and his interest in the performance ceased. For some reason his nephew also was anxious to leave the tent.

"Uncle," he said, "hadn't we better go back to the hotel? It will be too fatiguing¹ for you to remain here all the evening."

"Will that boy ride again?" asked Mr. Richmond, eagerly.

"No, he is not to appear again."

"Then I think I will go. As you say, I may feel fatigued²."

There was a hack³ in waiting to convey them back to the hotel, for the distance was too great for a feeble old man to walk.

When they reached the hotel, Mr. Richmond went at once to his chamber⁴, attended by his nephew.

69

"You had better go to bed at once, uncle," said Hugo, and he prepared to leave the room.

"Stay a moment, Hugo. I want to speak to you," said the old man.

"Very well, uncle," and Hugo seated himself.

"The sight of that boy has affected⁵ me strangely, Hugo," said Mr. Richmond. "He seems just what Julian was at his age."

"You said so before, uncle," said Hugo, in a tone of annoyance⁶; "but I assure you there is nothing in it. My eyes are better than yours, and I could see no likeness⁷."

"Suppose Julian's child were living," proceeded Mr. Richmond, not heeding⁸ his nephew's last speech, "he would be about the age of that boy."

"There are tens of thousands of boys about the same age, uncle," said Hugo, flippantly.

"Yes, but they haven't his look," returned the old man, shrewdly.

"Really, uncle, you are troubling yourself to no purpose. The son of Julian died when he was four years old, as Fitzgerald reported to us."

"He might be mistaken. If he only were!" exclaimed the old man, with deep emotion. "How70 bright my few remaining years would be if I had Julian's son with me!"

"No doubt. But he is dead, and we may as well give up all thoughts of such a possibility. Besides, uncle, you have me, and I try to do all I can for you. If I have failed, I deeply regret it," continued Hugo, assuming a tone of sorrow.

"No, no; I have no fault to find with you, Hugo," said his uncle, hastily. "You are devoted⁹ to me, as I am well aware; but you cannot be to me what a son or a grandson might be."

"No, I suppose not," said Hugo, with a sneer¹⁰ which his uncle did not detect. "But I am afraid, uncle, you will have to be content with my humble¹¹ services, however unacceptable they may be."

"Nay¹², Hugo, I do not mean to mortify¹³ you. I am truly grateful for your devotion, and you will find it to be so when I am gone."

"You are a long time going!" thought Hugo, as his cold glance rested on the trembling form of his uncle. "It is exasperating¹⁴ that you should linger so, cutting me off perhaps for half a dozen years longer from the enjoyment¹⁵ of the estate which is one day to be mine."

71

It was well that the old man could not read the thoughts of the man in whom he placed so much confidence. He little knew the cold, crafty¹⁶, scheming character of the man who supplied to him the place of son and grandson.

"If you have no more to say, uncle, I will leave you," said Hugo, rising.

"I came near forgetting. I want you to find out all about that boy and let me know. The manager boards at this hotel."

"Still harping¹⁷ on the boy!" muttered Hugo. "Very well, uncle, I will do as you say."

"Thank you, Hugo. I shall feel more easy in mind when I have learned."

As Hugo left the room, he said to himself, "I will do as my uncle requests, but for my own benefit, not his. Though I would not confess it to him, the resemblance to my cousin is startling. I don't wonder Uncle Cornelius noticed it. Can it be possible that Fitzgerald deceived me, and that the boy is really alive, and is a bareback circus-rider? He is capable of playing me false. If he has done so, I must at all hazards prevent my uncle finding it out. The estate of Chestnutwood, for which I have schemed so long, must be72 mine. The life of a frail¹⁸ old man alone separates me from it now, but if this boy were found, then I should sink back to my life of humble dependence¹⁹. It shall never be!"

It was not yet 10 o'clock, and Hugo was in no mood for bed. He went down-stairs and remained in the bar room till the return of the hotel guests who were connected with the circus.

Towards 10.30, Mr. Coleman, proprietor²⁰ of the circus, entered the office of the hotel. He was in good spirits, for there had been a large attendance at the first performance, and the prospects²¹ of a successful season were flattering.

"Good evening, Mr. Coleman," said Hugo, approaching the manager, to whom he had been introduced; "did your first performance pass off well?"

"It was immense, sir, immense! I am proud of Crampton! It has received me royally," returned the manager, enthusiastically.

"I am glad to hear it. May I offer you a cigar?"

"Thank you, sir."

"You will find mine choicer than any you can procure²² here. I spent a part of the evening at the tent."

73

"I hope you didn't get tired."

"Oh, no; that was not the cause of my coming away. The fact is, my uncle, who was with me, became fatigued (he is a very old man), and I felt obliged to come home with him. I should have been glad to stay till the close."

"It's a pity you did. Coleman's circus, though I do say it myself, has no superior on the road this season."

"I can easily believe it, sir. By the way, I was rather interested in the bareback riding."

"It takes everywhere. I have two of the smartest boy riders in the country."

"Where did you pick them up?" asked Hugo, with assumed carelessness.

"The younger one, Charlie Davis, comes from Canada."

"My attention was particularly attracted to the other."

"Robert Rudd?"

"Yes, if that is his name. How long has he been with you?"

"Two seasons. Before that he was with another smaller circus."

"How long has he been riding?"

74

"Ever since he was eight or nine years old. That boy is perfectly²³ fearless with horses. Not many grown men can ride as well. And that isn't all! I could easily make a lion tamer of him if he were willing. He has a wonderful power over the wild beasts. I believe he would go into their cages and they wouldn't offer to harm him."

"My cousin Julian had a passion for horses," thought Hugo. "If this boy were his son he would come honestly by his taste."

"You don't know how he came to adopt such a life, do you?" he asked.

"No; I believe the boy was alone in the world. I have heard him say he was under the care of a man who called himself his uncle, but for whom he does not seem to entertain any affection. Whether this man deserted²⁴ him, or he ran away from the man, I don't know. At any rate he fell in with some men in our business, and a well-known rider, seeing that the boy was quick and daring, offered to instruct him in his special line. The boy accepted, and that is the way he drifted into the show business."

"You say he has no relatives?"

"None that he knows of."

75

"Has he any education?"

"He can read and write, and I believe he knows something of arithmetic. He is smart enough, if he ever got an opportunity, to learn. I am selfish, however, and should not like to lose him, though I might consent if he could better himself. You see, sir, although I am in the show business myself, I don't consider it a very desirable career for a boy to follow. I've got a boy of my own, but I have placed him at boarding-school, and he shall never, with my permission, join a circus. You'll think it strange, Mr. Richmond, but so far as I know, Henry has never yet witnessed a circus performance."

"I quite agree with you, Mr. Coleman," said Hugo. "Then I offer you another cigar."

"Thanks, but I never smoke but one just before going to bed. If you are here to-morrow evening I shall be glad to offer you a ticket to the show."

"Thank you, but I must get away to-morrow with my uncle."

As Hugo went up-stairs to his room he said to himself, "It is high time we left the place, for the manager's story leads me to think this boy may be my cousin's son after all. My uncle must76 never know or suspect it, or my hopes of an inheritance are blasted."

The next morning when Hugo entered his uncle's apartment, according to custom, the old man asked eagerly, "Did you learn anything about the boy, Hugo?"

"Yes, uncle, I learned all about him. He was born in Montreal, and his father and mother live there now. He sends them half his earnings²⁵ regularly. His name—that is, his real name—is Oliver Brown."

Mr. Richmond never thought of doubting the truth of this smoothly-told fiction, but he was greatly disappointed. He sighed deeply, and when Hugo proposed to continue their journey that day he made no objection.

1 fatiguing   

a.使人劳累的

参考例句：

• He was fatiguing himself with his writing, no doubt. 想必他是拼命写作，写得精疲力尽了。
• Machines are much less fatiguing to your hands, arms, and back. 使用机器时，手、膊和后背不会感到太累。

2 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

3 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

7 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

8 heeding   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句
• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 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。

11 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

12 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

13 mortify   

v.克制，禁欲，使受辱

参考例句：

• The first Sunday,in particular,their behaviours served to mortify me.到了这里第一个星期，她们的行为几乎把我气死。
• For if ye live after the flesh,ye shall die:but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,ye shall live.你们若顺从肉体活着必要死。若靠着圣灵治死身体的恶行必要活着。

14 exasperating   

adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Our team's failure is very exasperating. 我们队失败了，真是气死人。
• It is really exasperating that he has not turned up when the train is about to leave. 火车快开了， 他还不来，实在急人。

15 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

16 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

17 harping   

n.反复述说

参考例句：

• Don't keep harping on like that. 别那样唠叨个没完。
• You're always harping on the samestring. 你总是老调重弹。

18 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

19 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

20 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

21 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

22 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

23 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

24 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

25 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。