“Does Ida's mother live here?” interrogated2 Jack.
The woman led the way, and Jack followed.
The former rang the bell. An untidy servant girl made her appearance.
“We will go up-stairs, Bridget,” said Peg.
Without betraying any astonishment4, the servant conducted them to an upper room, and opened the door.
“If you will go in and take a seat,” said Peg, “I will send Ida to you immediately.”
She closed the door after him, and very softly slipped the bolt which had been placed on the outside. She then hastened downstairs, and finding the proprietor5 of the house, who was a little old man with a shrewd, twinkling eye, and a long aquiline6 nose, she said to this man, who was a leading spirit among the coiners into whose employ she and her husband had entered, “I want you to keep this lad in confinement7, until I give you notice that it will be safe to let him go.”
“What has he done?” asked the old man.
“He is acquainted with a secret dangerous to both of us,” answered Peg, with intentional8 prevarication9; for she knew that, if it were supposed that she only had an interest in Jack's detention10, they would not take the trouble to keep him.
“Ha!” exclaimed the old man; “is that so? Then, I warrant me, he can't get out unless he has sharp claws.”
“Fairly trapped, my young bird,” thought Peg, as she hastened away; “I rather think that will put a stop to your troublesome interference for the present. You haven't lived quite long enough to be a match for old Peg. You'll find that out by and by. Ha, ha! won't your worthy11 uncle, the baker12, be puzzled to know why you don't come home to-night?”
Meanwhile Jack, wholly unsuspicious that any trick had been played upon him, seated himself in a rocking-chair, waiting impatiently for the coming of Ida, whom he was resolved to carry back with him to New York if his persuasions13 could effect it.
Impelled14 by a natural curiosity he examined, attentively15, the room in which he was seated. It was furnished moderately well; that is, as well as the sitting-room16 of a family in moderate circumstances. The floor was covered with a plain carpet. There was a sofa, a mirror, and several chairs covered with hair-cloth were standing17 stiffly at the windows. There were one or two engravings, of no great artistic18 excellence19, hanging against the walls. On the centre-table were two or three books. Such was the room into which Jack had been introduced.
Jack waited patiently for twenty minutes. Then he began to grow impatient.
“Perhaps Ida is out,” thought our hero; “but, if she is, Mrs. Hardwick ought to come and let me know.”
Another fifteen minutes passed, and still Ida came not.
“This is rather singular,” thought Jack. “She can't have told Ida that I am here, or I am sure she would rush up at once to see her brother Jack.”
At length, tired of waiting, and under the impression that he had been forgotten, Jack walked to the door, and placing his hand upon the latch20, attempted to open it.
There was a greater resistance than he had anticipated.
Supposing that it must stick, he used increased exertion21, but the door perversely22 refused to open.
“Good heavens!” thought Jack, the real state of the case flashing upon him, “is it possible that I am locked in?”
To determine this he employed all his strength, but the door still resisted. He could no longer doubt.
He rushed to the windows. There were two in number, and looked out upon a court in the rear of the house. No part of the street was visible from them; therefore there was no hope of drawing the attention of passers-by to his situation.
Confounded by this discovery, Jack sank into his chair in no very enviable state of mind.
“Well,” thought he, “this is a pretty situation for me to be in! I wonder what father would say if he knew that I was locked up like a prisoner. And then to think I let that treacherous23 woman, Mrs. Hardwick, lead me so quietly into a snare24. Aunt Rachel was about right when she said I wasn't fit to come alone. I hope she'll never find out this adventure of mine; I never should hear the last of it.”
Jack's mortification25 was extreme. His self-love was severely26 wounded by the thought that a woman had got the better of him, and he resolved, if he ever got out, that he would make Mrs. Hardwick suffer, he didn't quite know how, for the manner in which she had treated him.
Time passed. Every hour seemed to poor Jack to contain at least double the number of minutes which are usually reckoned to that division of time. Moreover, not having eaten for several hours, he was getting hungry.
A horrible suspicion flashed across his mind. “The wretches27 can't mean to starve me, can they?” he asked himself, while, despite his constitutional courage, he could not help shuddering28 at the idea.
He was unexpectedly answered by the sliding of a little door in the wall, and the appearance of the old man whose interview with Peg has been referred to.
“Are you getting hungry, my dear sir?” he inquired, with a disagreeable smile upon his features.
“Why am I confined here?” demanded Jack, in a tone of irritation29.
“Why are you confined?” repeated his interlocutor. “Really, one would think you did not find your quarters comfortable.”
“I am so far from finding them comfortable that I insist upon leaving them immediately,” returned Jack.
“Then all you have got to do is to walk through that door.
“It is locked; I can't open it.”
“Can't open it!” repeated the old man, with another disagreeable leer; “perhaps, then, it will be well for you to wait till you are strong enough.”
Irritated by this reply, Jack threw himself spitefully against the door, but to no purpose.
“Good fellow!” said he, encouragingly, “try it again! Won't you try it again? Better luck next time.”
“Where is the woman that brought me here?” he asked.
“Peg? Oh, she couldn't stay. She had important business to transact32, my young friend, and so she has gone; but don't feel anxious. She commended you to our particular attention, and you will be just as well treated as if she were here.”
This assurance was not very well calculated to comfort Jack.
“How long are you going to keep me cooped up here?” he asked, desperately33, wishing to learn the worst at once.
“Really, my young friend, I couldn't say. We are very hospitable34, very. We always like to have our friends with us as long as possible.”
“One question more,” he said, “will you tell me if my sister Ida is in this house?”
“Your sister Ida!” repeated the old man, surprised in his turn.
“Yes,” said Jack; believing, his astonishment feigned37. “You needn't pretend that you don't know anything about her. I know that she is in your hands.”
“Then if you know so much,” said the other, shrugging his shoulders, “there is no need of asking.”
Jack was about to press the question, but the old man, anticipating him, pointed38 to a plate of food which he pushed in upon a shelf, just in front of the sliding door, and said: “Here's some supper for you. When you get ready to go to bed you can lie down on the sofa. Sorry we didn't know of your coming, or we would have got our best bed-chamber ready for you. Good-night, and pleasant dreams!”
Smiling disagreeably he slid to the door, bolted it, and disappeared, leaving Jack more depressed39, if possible, than before.
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收听单词发音
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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interrogated
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| 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 | |
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peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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7
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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intentional
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| adj.故意的，有意（识）的 | |
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prevarication
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| n.支吾；搪塞；说谎；有枝有叶 | |
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detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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perversely
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| adv. 倔强地 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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24
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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28
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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29
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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wheezing
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣 | |
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31
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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32
transact
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| v.处理；做交易；谈判 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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