CHAPTER XXVI THE BURGLAR BAFFLED.

 SUALLY Tom slept with the revolver under his pillow. This night he had neglected to do so. Even had it been there, however, it would have been as much as his life was worth to reach for it, as the motion would have been at once understood by the ruffian, who stood over him with a knife in his hand.

 

“I’ll get up,” said Tom, in answer to the threat recorded in the last chapter.

 

“You’d better!” growled¹ the burglar.

 

“What shall I do?” thought Tom, racking his brain for some way of escape.

 

An idea flashed upon him. He turned to go behind the counter.

 

“Where are you going?” demanded the burglar suspiciously.

 

“For the money. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” asked Tom.

 

“Be quick about it. Where do you keep it?”

 

“Mr. Burton will think I took it,” said our hero, who had an object in what he said. “Won’t you be satisfied with taking some clothes?”

 

“Don’t be foolish, boy! What can I do with clothes? It is gold I want. Come, open the drawer. Where is it you keep it?”

 

“Will you leave a note for Mr. Burton, saying I didn’t take it?” asked Tom, who wished the ruffian to consider him simple.

 

“What a fool!” thought the burglar. “I’ll pretend to humor him. Yes,” he said, “I’ll leave a note which you can give him.”

 

“Will you write it now?”

 

“Of course not. I will as soon as I have the gold in my possession.”

 

“I suppose that will do. Step back, then.”

 

“What are you going to do?” asked the burglar in surprise, seeing Tom bend over.

 

“Lift the trap-door.”

 

“What for?”

 

“You want me to get the gold, don’t you?”

 

“Well?”

 

“I must go down cellar for it.”

 

“Is it kept down there?”

 

“Mr. Burton thought it would be safest there.”

 

“Did he?” chuckled² the robber. “Then he’ll find his mistake.”

 

Tom raised the trap-door and disclosed a staircase leading down into a subterranean³ vault⁴.

 

“I can’t see,” he said. “Will you lend me your lantern?” referring to the dark-lantern which the burglar carried.

 

“Oh, that will be all right. I’ll go down with you.”

 

“I wish you would,” said Tom. “I don’t like to go done here alone.”

 

 

“TOM RAISED THE TRAP-DOOR TO ALLOW THE BURGLAR TO STEP INTO THE CELLAR.”

 

“A coward!” thought the ruffian. “All the better for me. I thought from his looks that he was a bold, spirited boy, but appearances are deceitful. A pretty guardian⁵ he is for property.”

 

This was precisely⁶ the opinion which Tom desired his companion to have of him, as it was necessary for the success of his plan that his suspicion should be disarmed⁷, and he be taken off his guard.

 

The cellar into which they descended⁸ was used to store goods of various descriptions, and presented to the glance a confused pile of bales and boxes, arranged without much regard to order.

 

“This is a queer place to keep money,” said the burglar, looking round.

 

“It’s a first-rate place,” said Tom complacently⁹, “for nobody would ever think of looking for it here.”

 

“I don’t know but you’re right. Well, where is it?”

 

“In that little chest,” said Tom, pointing to one under a bale.

 

“So it’s there, is it?” said the burglar triumphantly¹⁰. “How much is there?”

 

“There’s a good deal,” said Tom; “but don’t take all, will you? Mr. Burton will be so mad.”

 

“Oh, no, I’ll leave some,” said the burglar mockingly. “What a simpleton he is,” he thought. “Come, open it. Is it locked?”

 

“There, what a fool I was!” said Tom, in a tone so natural that it deceived his companion. “I left the key up-stairs. But I won’t keep you a minute. I’ll go up and get it.”

 

But for the opinion he had formed of our hero’s simplicity¹¹, the burglar would hardly have suffered Tom to leave him. As it was his contempt made him feel secure.

 

“Well, be quick then,” he said. “I can’t wait here all night.”

 

Tom did not answer.

 

He sprung up the stairs, and the first intimation the astonished ruffian had of his design was conveyed in the slamming to of the trap-door.

 

“Confusion!” he muttered. “The young rogue¹² has outwitted me.”

 

He sprung forward, but in such haste that he tripped over a bale and measured his length on the floor, dropping his lantern at the same time. His temper by no means improved by this accident, he picked himself up, and springing up the narrow staircase, tried to raise the trap-door.

 

But Tom had drawn¹³ two bolts which fastened it above, and moreover, was dragging a heavy box to place upon it, so that the entrapped¹⁴ person found himself utterly¹⁵ unable to lift it.

 

“Open the door!” he shouted from below in mingled¹⁶ rage and fright.

 

“I’d rather not!” Tom shouted back in reply.

 

“If you don’t I’ll make it the worst for you, you young villain¹⁷.”

 

“You’ll have to get at me first,” said Tom in a tone of aggravation¹⁸.

 

The burglar realized that so far from being simple he had to deal with a boy who was brave and quick-witted.

 

“Confusion!” he muttered to himself. “If I am caught here it will ruin me.”

 

Again he shouted:

 

“I’ll shoot you through the floor.”

 

“Better not,” retorted Tom. “It will rouse the neighbors. Besides, I’ve got a revolver too.”

 

“I don’t believe it.”

 

“That don’t alter the fact.”

 

“Why didn’t you show it?”

 

“I couldn’t get at it while you stood over me with a knife.”

 

“He’s got me at an advantage,” thought the villain. “I must change my tone.”

 

“Let me up,” he pleaded, “and I’ll go off without taking your gold.”

 

“I don’t mean that you shall,” said Tom coolly. “You can’t get at it.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It isn’t down there at all.”

 

“Then you deceived me,” exclaimed the baffled villain.

 

“Of course I did, and would do it again.”

 

“Are you going to let me out?” demanded the burglar, knocking furiously at the trap-door.

 

“Not till morning.”

 

There was no doubt about it. The burglar had been completely outwitted and trapped by a boy. That was the most humiliating part of it. If he could have got at our hero then, there is little doubt that he would have put him to death without a moment’s hesitation¹⁹. But luckily for Tom there was a good plank²⁰ flooring between, and a trap-door which was secured by two strong bolts. But Tom did not feel quite secure. There was an egress²¹ from the cellar at one side. If the ruffian should discover this, his peril²² would be extreme.

1 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

3 subterranean   

adj.地下的，地表下的

参考例句：

• London has 9 miles of such subterranean passages.伦敦像这样的地下通道有9英里长。
• We wandered through subterranean passages.我们漫游地下通道。

4 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

9 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

11 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

12 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

13 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

14 entrapped   

v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was entrapped into undertaking the work. 他受骗而担任那工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt he had been entrapped into marrying her. 他觉得和她结婚是上了当。 来自辞典例句

15 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

16 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

17 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

18 aggravation   

n.烦恼，恼火

参考例句：

• She stirred in aggravation as she said this. 她说这句话，激动得过分。
• Can't stand the aggravation, all day I get aggravation. You know how it is." 我整天都碰到令人发火的事，你可想而知这是什么滋味。” 来自教父部分

19 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

20 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

21 egress   

n.出去；出口

参考例句：

• Safe access and egress can be achieved by various methods.可以采用各种方法安全的进入或离开。
• Drains achieve a ready egress of the liquid blood.引流能为血液提供一个容易的出口。

22 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。