‘I think they must certainly come to-morrow, eh mother?’ said Kit, laying aside his hat with a weary air and sighing as he spoke5. ‘They have been gone a week. They surely couldn’t stop away more than a week, could they now?’
The mother shook her head, and reminded him how often he had been disappointed already.
‘For the matter of that,’ said Kit, ‘you speak true and sensible enough, as you always do, mother. Still, I do consider that a week is quite long enough for ’em to be rambling6 about; don’t you say so?’
‘Quite long enough, Kit, longer than enough, but they may not come back for all that.’
Kit was for a moment disposed to be vexed7 by this contradiction, and not the less so from having anticipated it in his own mind and knowing how just it was. But the impulse was only momentary8, and the vexed look became a kind one before it had crossed the room.
‘Then what do you think, mother, has become of ’em? You don’t think they’ve gone to sea, anyhow?’
‘Not gone for sailors, certainly,’ returned the mother with a smile. ‘But I can’t help thinking that they have gone to some foreign country.’
‘I say,’ cried Kit with a rueful face, ‘don’t talk like that, mother.’
‘I am afraid they have, and that’s the truth,’ she said. ‘It’s the talk of all the neighbours, and there are some even that know of their having been seen on board ship, and can tell you the name of the place they’ve gone to, which is more than I can, my dear, for it’s a very hard one.’
‘I don’t believe it,’ said Kit. ‘Not a word of it. A set of idle chatterboxes, how should they know!’
‘They may be wrong of course,’ returned the mother, ‘I can’t tell about that, though I don’t think it’s at all unlikely that they’re in the right, for the talk is that the old gentleman had put by a little money that nobody knew of, not even that ugly little man you talk to me about — what’s his name — Quilp; and that he and Miss Nell have gone to live abroad where it can’t be taken from them, and they will never be disturbed. That don’t seem very far out of the way now, do it?’
Kit scratched his head mournfully, in reluctant admission that it did not, and clambering up to the old nail took down the cage and set himself to clean it and to feed the bird. His thoughts reverting9 from this occupation to the little old gentleman who had given him the shilling, he suddenly recollected10 that that was the very day — nay11, nearly the very hour — at which the little old gentleman had said he should be at the Notary12’s house again. He no sooner remembered this, than he hung up the cage with great precipitation, and hastily explaining the nature of his errand, went off at full speed to the appointed place.
It was some two minutes after the time when he reached the spot, which was a considerable distance from his home, but by great good luck the little old gentleman had not yet arrived; at least there was no pony13-chaise to be seen, and it was not likely that he had come and gone again in so short a space. Greatly relieved to find that he was not too late, Kit leant against a lamp-post to take breath, and waited the advent14 of the pony and his charge.
Sure enough, before long the pony came trotting15 round the corner of the street, looking as obstinate16 as pony might, and picking his steps as if he were spying about for the cleanest places, and would by no means dirty his feet or hurry himself inconveniently17. Behind the pony sat the little old gentleman, and by the old gentleman’s side sat the little old lady, carrying just such a nosegay as she had brought before.
The old gentleman, the old lady, the pony, and the chaise, came up the street in perfect unanimity18, until they arrived within some half a dozen doors of the Notary’s house, when the pony, deceived by a brass-plate beneath a tailor’s knocker, came to a halt, and maintained by a sturdy silence, that that was the house they wanted.
‘Now, Sir, will you ha’ the goodness to go on; this is not the place,’ said the old gentleman.
The pony looked with great attention into a fire-plug which was near him, and appeared to be quite absorbed in contemplating19 it.
‘Oh dear, such a naughty Whisker” cried the old lady. ‘After being so good too, and coming along so well! I am quite ashamed of him. I don’t know what we are to do with him, I really don’t.’
The pony having thoroughly20 satisfied himself as to the nature and properties of the fire-plug, looked into the air after his old enemies the flies, and as there happened to be one of them tickling21 his ear at that moment he shook his head and whisked his tail, after which he appeared full of thought but quite comfortable and collected. The old gentleman having exhausted22 his powers of persuasion23, alighted to lead him; whereupon the pony, perhaps because he held this to be a sufficient concession24, perhaps because he happened to catch sight of the other brass-plate, or perhaps because he was in a spiteful humour, darted25 off with the old lady and stopped at the right house, leaving the old gentleman to come panting on behind.
It was then that Kit presented himself at the pony’s head, and touched his hat with a smile.
‘Why, bless me,’ cried the old gentleman, ‘the lad is here! My dear, do you see?’
‘I said I’d be here, Sir,’ said Kit, patting Whisker’s neck. ‘I hope you’ve had a pleasant ride, sir. He’s a very nice little pony.’
‘My dear,’ said the old gentleman. ‘This is an uncommon26 lad; a good lad, I’m sure.’
‘I’m sure he is,’ rejoined the old lady. ‘A very good lad, and I am sure he is a good son.’
Kit acknowledged these expressions of confidence by touching27 his hat again and blushing very much. The old gentleman then handed the old lady out, and after looking at him with an approving smile, they went into the house — talking about him as they went, Kit could not help feeling. Presently Mr Witherden, smelling very hard at the nosegay, came to the window and looked at him, and after that Mr Abel came and looked at him, and after that the old gentleman and lady came and looked at him again, and after that they all came and looked at him together, which Kit, feeling very much embarrassed by, made a pretence28 of not observing. Therefore he patted the pony more and more; and this liberty the pony most handsomely permitted.
The faces had not disappeared from the window many moments, when Mr Chuckster in his official coat, and with his hat hanging on his head just as it happened to fall from its peg29, appeared upon the pavement, and telling him he was wanted inside, bade him go in and he would mind the chaise the while. In giving him this direction Mr Chuckster remarked that he wished that he might be blessed if he could make out whether he (Kit) was ‘precious raw’ or ‘precious deep,’ but intimated by a distrustful shake of the head, that he inclined to the latter opinion.
Kit entered the office in a great tremor30, for he was not used to going among strange ladies and gentlemen, and the tin boxes and bundles of dusty papers had in his eyes an awful and venerable air. Mr Witherden too was a bustling31 gentleman who talked loud and fast, and all eyes were upon him, and he was very shabby.
‘Well, boy,’ said Mr Witherden, ‘you came to work out that shilling; — not to get another, hey?’
‘No indeed, sir,’ replied Kit, taking courage to look up. ‘I never thought of such a thing.’
‘Father alive?’ said the Notary.
‘Dead, sir.’
‘Mother?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Married again — eh?’
Kit made answer, not without some indignation, that she was a widow with three children, and that as to her marrying again, if the gentleman knew her he wouldn’t think of such a thing. At this reply Mr Witherden buried his nose in the flowers again, and whispered behind the nosegay to the old gentleman that he believed the lad was as honest a lad as need be.
‘Now,’ said Mr Garland when they had made some further inquiries32 of him, ‘I am not going to give you anything —’
‘Thank you, sir,’ Kit replied; and quite seriously too, for this announcement seemed to free him from the suspicion which the Notary had hinted.
‘— But,’ resumed the old gentleman, ‘perhaps I may want to know something more about you, so tell me where you live, and I’ll put it down in my pocket-book.’
Kit told him, and the old gentleman wrote down the address with his pencil. He had scarcely done so, when there was a great uproar33 in the street, and the old lady hurrying to the window cried that Whisker had run away, upon which Kit darted out to the rescue, and the others followed.
It seemed that Mr Chuckster had been standing34 with his hands in his pockets looking carelessly at the pony, and occasionally insulting him with such admonitions as ‘Stand still,’—‘Be quiet,’— ‘Wo-a-a,’ and the like, which by a pony of spirit cannot be borne. Consequently, the pony being deterred35 by no considerations of duty or obedience36, and not having before him the slightest fear of the human eye, had at length started off, and was at that moment rattling37 down the street — Mr Chuckster, with his hat off and a pen behind his ear, hanging on in the rear of the chaise and making futile38 attempts to draw it the other way, to the unspeakable admiration39 of all beholders. Even in running away, however, Whisker was perverse40, for he had not gone very far when he suddenly stopped, and before assistance could be rendered, commenced backing at nearly as quick a pace as he had gone forward. By these means Mr Chuckster was pushed and hustled41 to the office again, in a most inglorious manner, and arrived in a state of great exhaustion42 and discomfiture43.
The old lady then stepped into her seat, and Mr Abel (whom they had come to fetch) into his. The old gentleman, after reasoning with the pony on the extreme impropriety of his conduct, and making the best amends44 in his power to Mr Chuckster, took his place also, and they drove away, waving a farewell to the Notary and his clerk, and more than once turning to nod kindly45 to Kit as he watched them from the road.
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1
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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2
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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5
spoke
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| 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 | |
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6
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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7
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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8
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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reverting
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| 恢复( revert的现在分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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10
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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notary
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| n.公证人，公证员 | |
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13
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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14
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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15
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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16
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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inconveniently
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| ad.不方便地 | |
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unanimity
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| n.全体一致，一致同意 | |
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19
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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20
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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21
tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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25
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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26
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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27
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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28
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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29
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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30
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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32
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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34
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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35
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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37
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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38
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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39
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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40
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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41
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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43
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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44
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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45
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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