CHAPTER XV. A COMPACT.

 HUGO stopped short, till the stranger should come up. He intended to warn him off the grounds, as an intruder.

"Look here, my man," he said, with an air of authority, "are you aware that these are private grounds?"

"I suppose they are," said the intruder, smiling.

Hugo was surprised to see that he showed no confusion or timidity, but stood his ground boldly. The fellow's unconcern nettled¹ him.

"Then, if you suppose they are," he said, sharply, "you must know that you are trespassing². You can have no business here, and the best course, if you wish to avoid trouble, is to turn about and gain the highway as speedily as possible."

Hugo fancied that this would be sufficient to put the intruder to flight, but he was mistaken.

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"Who told you I had no business here?" he asked.

"Don't be impertinent! A man like you can have no business here unless you wish to obtain a position as laborer³, and we have no vacancy⁵ of that kind."

The intruder held out his hands and said, quietly: "Do them look like the hands of a laborer?"

Hugo glanced at them. They were as white and unsoiled by any of the outward evidences of manual labor⁴ as his own. Yet the man was shabbily dressed, and looked poor. Be that as it might, he had never been accustomed to labor with his hands.

"No," answered Hugo, "but that isn't in your favor. However, I have no further time to waste with you. Leave these grounds at once."

"Not until I have had some further conversation with you, Mr. Hugo Richmond," said the visitor, regarding Hugo fixedly⁶.

"Who are you?" demanded Hugo, abruptly⁷. "You know my name, it seems. Have I ever known you?"

"Yes."

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"What is your name?"

"Fitzgerald."

"I aver⁸ that you are he," said Hugo, after a brief glance of scrutiny⁹, "though I should hardly have known you. I am glad you are come. I was wishing particularly to see you."

Fitzgerald looked surprised. He had fancied that he would be an unwelcome, perhaps a dreaded¹⁰ apparition¹¹, yet here was the man who he had thought would be disturbed at his appearance actually expressing his pleasure at meeting him.

"Then I am glad I came," he said. "I thought perhaps you would be sorry to see me."

"So I should have been a week since. Now something has occurred which makes a meeting between us desirable."

"Is your uncle dead?" asked the visitor, with eager interest.

"No, he is still living," returned Hugo, with a half unconscious sigh of regret. "Walk with me to yonder summer-house. I must have some serious conversation with you."

Fitzgerald followed, wondering considerably¹² what Hugo had to say to him, and the two sat down in a summer-house or rustic¹³ arbor¹⁴ at some123 distance from the house, where there were not likely to be any listeners to their speech.

When they were seated Hugo asked abruptly, "What did you do with Julian's boy?"

Fitzgerald started in some surprise, and perhaps embarrassment¹⁵, and answered, "You know very well, Mr. Hugo. He died of scarlet¹⁶ fever."

"So you reported, and I was quite ready to accept the report without inquiring into particulars. Now I have reason to doubt your statement."

"Oh, well, he may have died of something else," said Fitzgerald, shrugging his shoulders. "As long as he died, I suppose it didn't matter to you what was the nature of his disease?"

"Not if he were really dead."

"You don't doubt that, do you?"

"Yes, I do; moreover, I am quite convinced that it is false."

"Then you had better keep it to yourself," suggested Fitzgerald with a cunning smile, "since the boy, if alive, would be his grandfather's heir."

"But suppose his grandfather suspects he is living?"

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"That would alter matters. But why should he suspect?"

"Fitzgerald, do you know where this boy is?" asked Hugo, searchingly.

"I don't even know that he is living. If you do you know more than I do about him."

"You know, at least, that he did not die at the time you reported his death."

"Well, I don't mind confessing as much as that."

"You played me false!" said Hugo, with angry bitterness.

"Suppose I did?" retorted Fitzgerald, defiantly¹⁷. "That's better than to kill an innocent boy, isn't it?"

"Hush¹⁸!" exclaimed Hugo, in alarm. "Don't use such words. They might be overheard."

"How do you know the boy is alive?" asked Fitzgerald, after a pause.

"I saw him myself within a week."

"Where?"

"At Crampton, in a circus performance; the boy was riding bareback in the ring. He is called on the bills, 'The Boy Wonder,' and is a daring and graceful¹⁹ rider. Julian was always fond of horses."

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"What name does he bear?"

"Robert Rudd."

"Are you sure it is Julian's son?"

"As sure as I need be. He is the perfect image of my cousin at his age."

"The boy has no suspicion of his origin, I suppose?"

"Not the slightest."

"Then why need you be troubled?"

"Because my uncle was with me, and he, too, noticed the extraordinary resemblance of the boy-rider to his son. Ever since he has been restless, and now he insists upon my seeking out the boy, and bringing him here to live with him."

Fitzgerald whistled.

"That would make a dark lookout²⁰ for you, Mr. Hugo," he said.

"Of course it would. Besides, if the boy knew anything of his past history, my uncle would be readily convinced that it was really his grandson, and I would be set aside as the heir to Chestnutwood."

"I see."

"Now tell me, Fitzgerald, how does it happen that the boy has been trained up to such a career?"

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"I can't tell positively²¹. I gave a tramp a sum of money to take charge of him and carry him about, passing him off as his own son. I suppose the man died and the boy fell in with some circus people, who saw that they could make use of him."

"That seems plausible²² enough," said Hugo, thoughtfully. "At any rate our concern is not with the past, but with the future. I suppose you are not exactly prosperous?"

Fitzgerald drew a purse from his pocket, and extracted a twenty-five cent coin.

"That is all the money I have," he answered.

"Do you feel like going into my employment again?"

"Yes."

"Then we will see if between us we cannot stave off this danger which threatens my prospects²³."

There was a lengthened²⁴ conference, into the particulars of which we need not enter, stating only that Robert was the subject of it. Fitzgerald left Chestnutwood that same evening, plentifully²⁵ supplied with money.

1 nettled   

v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• My remarks clearly nettled her. 我的话显然惹恼了她。
• He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 他刚才有些来火，但现在又恢复了常态。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

2 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

3 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

4 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。

5 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

6 fixedly   

adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地

参考例句：

• He stared fixedly at the woman in white. 他一直凝视着那穿白衣裳的女人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The great majority were silent and still, looking fixedly at the ground. 绝大部分的人都不闹不动，呆呆地望着地面。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

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 aver   

v.极力声明；断言；确证

参考例句：

• I aver it will not rain tomorrow.我断言明天不会下雨。
• In spite of all you say,I still aver that his report is true.不管你怎么说，我还是断言他的报告是真实的。

9 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

10 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

11 apparition   

n.幽灵，神奇的现象

参考例句：

• He saw the apparition of his dead wife.他看见了他亡妻的幽灵。
• But the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand.这新出现的幽灵吓得我站在那里一动也不敢动。

12 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

13 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

14 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

15 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

16 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

17 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》

18 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

19 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

20 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

21 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

22 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

23 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。

24 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

25 plentifully   

adv. 许多地，丰饶地

参考例句：

• The visitors were plentifully supplied with food and drink. 给来宾准备了丰富的食物和饮料。
• The oil flowed plentifully at first, but soon ran out. 起初石油大量涌出，但很快就枯竭了。