CHAPTER XXI. A CONSPIRACY.

 James Grey continued to follow Maurice Walton and his companion until his patience was nearly exhausted¹. At length, just as the city clocks were striking ten, Baker² said:

 

"Well, Walton, I must bid you good-night."

 

"Won't you walk home with me? It isn't far out of your way."

 

"Can't do it to-night. The fact is, I want to see the governor before he retires. I'm hard up, and shall try to get a ten-dollar bill out of him."

 

"I wish you success. As to being 'hard up,' I can sympathize with you. Couldn't you ask him for an extra ten for me?"

 

"I would if there was any chance of getting it, but I'm afraid my own chance is slim enough."

 

"If I only got Grey's salary, I wouldn't ask favors of anybody; but how is a fellow to get along on ten dollars a week?"

 

"Just so. Well, good-night."

 

"Good-night."

 

Baker walked off, and Maurice Walton walked on by himself. He had taken but a few steps when Mr. Grey, quickening his pace, laid his hand upon his shoulder.

 

"Mr. Walton," said he.

 

Maurice turned quickly.

 

"You must excuse the liberty I have taken in addressing you, being a stranger; but I heard you, when in conversation with the young man who has just left you, mention the name of Gilbert Grey."

 

"Yes, sir, I mentioned his name," said Maurice. "Do you know him?"

 

"I have spoken with him, but I know very little about him. I judge that you do."

 

"We are in the same store," said Maurice; "but we are not intimate friends."

 

"I infer that you do not like him?"

 

"No, I don't."

 

"Nor do I."

 

Probably Mr. Grey could not have said anything more likely to win young Walton's confidence than this frank expression of dislike.

 

"The fact is," continued Mr. Grey, "I suppose I may speak to you in confidence?"

 

"Oh! certainly, sir," said Maurice, eagerly, for he anticipated hearing something to Gilbert's disadvantage.

 

"Then," said Mr. Grey, in a low tone, "I look upon him as an impostor."

 

"You do?" repeated young Walton. "What makes you think so?"

 

"I don't like to speak openly in the street. Can you give me an hour, or even half an hour of your time, or is it necessary for you to go home at once?"

 

"Where are you stopping, sir?"

 

"At the Burnet House."

 

"I think I can spare half an hour. It is near by."

 

"Thank you. I will endeavor to make the interview a profitable one for you. I am going to ask a service of you, and I am willing to pay handsomely for it."

 

Upon a young man "hard up," as Maurice was, this suggestion was not thrown away.

 

"I shall be glad to help you, sir," he said, quickly.

 

"Come with me, then. I will defer⁴ saying more till we are seated in my room at the hotel."

 

In less than five minutes they were so seated. By the gaslight Maurice got a fair view of his companion, and was led to wonder who he was.

 

"Mr. Walton," said the older man, "it is only fair that I should give you an equal advantage with myself. I know your name. You do not know mine. Let me introduce myself as James Grey."

 

"Formerly⁵ in business in this city?"

 

"The same."

 

"The uncle of Gilbert Grey?"

 

"So he says."

 

It was impossible to mistake the tone in which these words were spoken.

 

"Is he not really your nephew?" asked Maurice, in surprise.

 

James Grey shrugged⁶ his shoulders.

 

"He pretends to be; but I believe him to be an impostor."

 

"What makes you think so? Why should he pretend to be related to you?" asked Maurice, excited and eager.

 

"Because I am rich, and he has entered into a plot to extort⁷ money from me. I can make clear his design very briefly⁸. He pretends that he is the son of my elder brother. If this be true, then the property which I possess, or a large part of it, properly belongs to him."

 

"But, if it isn't true, how can he make such a claim?"

 

"My brother's only son disappeared when a mere⁹ boy, and, though his body was not found, there is reason to believe that he fell into the Ohio river and was drowned. At about the same time, a clerk in my employ purloined¹⁰ a sum of money and fled. This boy has heard of these two incidents, and, cunningly putting them together, comes forward with a trumped-up story to the effect that this clerk, Jacob Morton, was hired to carry off my nephew, in order that, the true heir being out of the way, I might succeed to my brother's money. It is ridiculous, and yet it is cunningly devised."

 

"I always thought he was artful," said Maurice.

 

"You are quite right there. He has an astonishing amount of artfulness and unblushing impudence¹¹. But I have not told you all. He produces a paper professing¹² to be written by this Jacob Morton, who, he says, is dead, asserting all that he claims."

 

"Do you think he wrote it himself?"

 

"Either that, or he has met this clerk somewhere, and they have devised a plan for jointly¹³ enriching themselves at my expense. If this is the case, and the paper was really written by Jacob Morton, the man is probably still alive, but keeping himself somewhere in concealment¹⁴."

 

"What a bold attempt at fraud!" exclaimed Maurice, who was completely duped by his companion's plausible¹⁵ statements.

 

"Is it not? Now I want to ask you, who know him well, what your opinion of him is. Do you look upon him as honest and straightforward¹⁶?"

 

"No, I don't. He's just artful enough to be up to some such game. He's deceived Mr. Ferguson, and made him think there is no one like him, so that there is no chance for me. He gets twice the salary that I do, although I have been in the business as long as he."

 

"And yet you look as if you had a good business turn," said Mr. Grey, with skillful flattery.

 

"I know as much of business as he does. I am sure of that."

 

"Mr. Ferguson must be a weak man to be so easily duped. If it were my case, he wouldn't find it so easy to impose upon me."

 

"I don't know how he does it, but he has cut me out entirely¹⁷. Mr. Ferguson won't hear a word against his favorite."

 

"You are unfortunate, but we are in the same position there. He has conspired¹⁸ to keep you down, and he is now plotting to extort money from me by his preposterous¹⁹ claims."

 

"Do you think he stands any chance?"

 

"No. But if he produces this paper of his, he might bring a suit against me which would be annoying. You know there are some people who are always ready to believe the worst, and I dare say he would convince some that his claims were just, and that I had acted fraudulently. Now that would be unpleasant to me, though I should be certain to win at law."

 

"Of course. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Grey?"

 

"To ask your assistance, for which I shall be ready to pay."

 

"But what can I do?" asked Maurice, in some astonishment²⁰.

 

"I will tell you," said James Grey, hitching²¹ his chair nearer that of his young visitor; "but, of course, you will keep my confidence?"

 

"Certainly."

 

"The whole strength of his case lies in this forged paper. Let me get possession of that, and he can do nothing."

 

"I see."

 

"Now you know where he boards, probably?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Can't you contrive²² to get access to his room, search for the paper—very likely it is in his trunk—and, when obtained, bring it to me? I am ready to give a hundred dollars for it."

 

"I don't know," said Maurice, slowly. "I am afraid it would be difficult."

 

"But by no means impossible. I will give you ten dollars now, and that you may keep, whether you succeed or not. If you succeed, you shall have a hundred dollars besides. Do you agree?"

 

As he spoke³ he held a ten-dollar bill out temptingly. It was a temptation that Maurice Walton, with but fifty cents in his pocket, could not resist. He wanted money sorely. Besides, he had a chance to win a hundred dollars additional, and this would enable him to gratify several wishes which had hitherto seemed unattainable.

 

"I will do my best," he said, holding out his hand for the money.

 

There was a quiet flash of triumph in the cold, gray eye of his older companion, as he placed the bill in Maurice's hands.

 

"I need not caution you to be secret," he said.

 

"I shall not say a word to any one," answered young Walton.

 

James Grey rubbed his hands gleefully, as Walton left the room.

 

"The scheme promises well," he soliloquized. "My worthy²³ nephew, I may checkmate you yet."

1 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 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。

4 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

5 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

6 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 extort   

v.勒索，敲诈，强要

参考例句：

• The blackmailer tried to extort a large sum of money from him.勒索者企图向他勒索一大笔钱。
• They absolutely must not harm the people or extort money from them.严格禁止坑害勒索群众。

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

10 purloined   

v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• You have chosen align yourself with those who have purloined the very seat of your existence. 你们选择了将自己与那些盗取了你们存在之真正席位的人相校准。 来自互联网

11 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

12 professing   

声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• But( which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 只要有善行。这才与自称是敬神的女人相宜。
• Professing Christianity, he had little compassion in his make-up. 他号称信奉基督教，却没有什么慈悲心肠。

13 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

14 concealment   

n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒

参考例句：

• the concealment of crime 对罪行的隐瞒
• Stay in concealment until the danger has passed. 把自己藏起来，待危险过去后再出来。

15 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。

16 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 conspired   

密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They conspired to bring about the meeting of the two people. 他们共同促成了两人的会面。
• Bad weather and car trouble conspired to ruin our vacation. 恶劣的气候连同汽车故障断送了我们的假日。

19 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

20 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

21 hitching   

搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• The farmer yoked the oxen before hitching them to the wagon. 农夫在将牛套上大车之前先给它们套上轭。
• I saw an old man hitching along on his stick. 我看见一位老人拄着手杖蹒跚而行。

22 contrive   

vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出

参考例句：

• Can you contrive to be here a little earlier?你能不能早一点来？
• How could you contrive to make such a mess of things?你怎么把事情弄得一团糟呢？

23 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。