CHAPTER XXX. MARK MAKES ARRANGEMENTS WITH JACK.

Mark's excitement was at fever heat. In the most wonderful manner he had succeeded almost without an effort. He could not doubt that this boy was the very one of whom he was in search.

He was apprehensive¹ that Lyman would turn, and on recognizing him penetrate² his design and arrange to defeat it. But fortunately the object of his dread³ appeared to have other business in hand and kept on his way, never turning back.

"How old are you?" he asked, thinking it best to make assurance doubly sure.

"Peggy says I'm goin' on eight," answered the match boy.

"That is the right age," thought Mark.

"Have you always lived in Chicago?" he continued.

"No, sir; Peggy brought me from St. Louis when I was a very little child."

"I suppose you don't remember much about St. Louis?"

"I don't remember it at all."

"What does Peggy do for a living?"

Jack⁴ shrugged⁵ his shoulders.

"Nothing much," he answered; "she says she isn't well enough to work."

"Surely she does not depend wholly upon what you earn?"

"I don't know. Sometimes she gets money in a letter. I think it comes from her son."

"Then she has a son?"

"Yes."

"Where does he live?"

"I saw one of his letters once. It said Fall River on the wrapper. I think he works in a factory."

"Fall River is a city in Massachusetts. I have never been there, but I hear that they have factories there."

"So you can read writing?" asked Mark after a pause.

"Yes, a little."

"And I suppose you can read books and papers?"

"A little. I went to a primary school for a little while, and afterwards a lady used to hear my lessons. She lived in the same place with us."

"Did you like studying?"

"Ever so much. I should be happy if I could go to school again, but Peggy says I know enough, and she needs me to earn my living."

"Do you know the name of that gentleman you pointed⁶ out to me?"

"No, I don't think I heard Peggy mention his name."

"How long has he been in the habit of coming to see you and Peggy?"

"He has only been there two or three times. Peggy didn't remember him at first. I think they used to know each other a good while ago."

"Suppose this gentleman's story were true, and you had a grandfather at the East who could take good care of you, would you be willing to go to him?"

"Would he be kind to me? Do you know him?" asked the little fellow eagerly.

"Yes, I know him, and I am sure he would be very kind to you. Would you be willing to leave Peggy?"

"Yes," answered little Jack promptly⁷.

"How does she treat you?"

"If I bring home a good bit of money, she pats me on the head and says I am a good boy, but if I am not lucky she is very cross, and sometimes she beats me."

Mark's sympathies were aroused. Jack was so small, and weak in appearance, that it seemed to him revolting to think of his being at the mercy of a cruel old woman. Half unconsciously his fist doubled up, his teeth closed firmly together, and he just wished he had the merciless Peggy in his power.

"Is Peggy temperate⁸?" he asked.

Jack looked at him inquiringly.

"Does she drink?" Mark asked, changing the form of his question.

"She drinks beer, and sometimes whiskey," answered Jack.

"Does she get—drunk?"

"Sometimes."

"How does it affect her?"

"It makes her sleepy or cross. I always run away when she has been drinking—when I can, but sometimes she locks the door and fastens me in. Then, if I can, I hide under the bed."

"Poor boy! you have a hard time of it. Now, Jack, can you keep a secret?"

Jack nodded, and his face assumed a cunning look, for the poor boy had more than once felt obliged to practice dissimulation⁹, in the rough school in which he had been trained.

"Yes," he answered.

"Then I am going to tell you a secret. Your grandfather sent me out here to find you."

"He sent you!" ejaculated Jack.

"Yes."

"But I thought he sent that gentleman—the one I pointed out to you."

"No; that gentleman, as you call him, is your mother's cousin. He is a near relation of yours."

"But he spoke¹⁰ to Peggy about carrying me back to my grandfather."

"He has an object in view. He won't give you up to your grandfather unless he gets a large sum of money. I suppose he has promised to give Peggy some of the money."

"Yes, I heard him promise Peggy a hundred dollars."

Mark smiled.

"Then I think he is going to cheat Peggy," he said. "He wants five thousand dollars for himself."

"Why, that is a good deal more than a hundred dollars."

"Yes, it is fifty times as much. Did Peggy seem to be satisfied with a hundred?"

"No; she said it was very little, but he said perhaps my grandfather would give her as much as that every year."

"It is evident he proposes to take the old woman in."

"I don't care, if he will only take me back to my grandfather. Will he give me enough to eat?"

"My poor child, are you hungry?" asked Mark, compassionately¹¹.

"Yes; I think I am always hungry," sighed Jack. "Peggy says I eat too much."

"You don't look much like it. Now Jack, one thing more. Would you be willing to leave Peggy, and go to New York with me?"

"Would you take me to my grandfather?"

"Yes; that is just what I want to do."

"I am ready to go now," said Jack, putting his hand confidingly¹² in Mark's.

"That is well, but it will be better to wait till to-morrow. What time do you get up in the morning?"

"About eight o'clock. It isn't any use to go out too early."

"And at what time do you come here, Jack?"

"About half-past eight or nine."

"Then I will meet you to-morrow, somewhere about that time, and I will have tickets ready to take us to New York. We can catch the ten o'clock train. There isn't any danger of Peggy keeping you, is there?"

"Not unless she thinks I am goin' to run away."

"She mustn't suspect that. We must be sure to keep that from her. I suppose you have no other clothes than those you have on?"

"No, sir."

"I will hunt up a clothing-store, and get you fitted out before we start. I shouldn't like your grandfather to see you in that ragged¹³ suit."

Jack looked down at his jacket, frayed¹⁴, tattered¹⁵ and greasy¹⁶, and said:

"I've often wished I had nice clothes like that boy," and he pointed out a boy of about his own age, dressed in knickerbockers.

"You shall have your wish to-morrow, Jack. Now I suppose you had better go and buy some more matches, so that Peggy won't suspect anything."

"Yes, sir."

"You'll be sure to meet me to-morrow, Jack?"

"Yes, sir."

"And don't let Peggy suspect from your looks that anything is going on."

"Yes, sir."

"Everything looks favorable," thought Mark as he walked slowly to his hotel. "To-morrow at this time Peggy and the worthy¹⁷ Lyman will be mourning for a lost boy."

1 apprehensive   

adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的

参考例句：

• She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
• He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

2 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

3 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 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》

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

8 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

9 dissimulation   

n.掩饰，虚伪，装糊涂

参考例句：

• A habit of dissimulation is a hindrance, and a poorness to him. 在他这样的一个人，一种掩饰的习惯是一种阻挠，一个弱点。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Still we have our limits beyond which we call dissimulation treachery. 不过我们仍然有自己的限度，超过这个界限，就是虚伪与背信弃义。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 compassionately   

adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地

参考例句：

• The man at her feet looked up at Scarlett compassionately. 那个躺在思嘉脚边的人同情地仰望着她。 来自飘（部分）
• Then almost compassionately he said,"You should be greatly rewarded." 接着他几乎带些怜悯似地说：“你是应当得到重重酬报的。” 来自辞典例句

12 confidingly   

adv.信任地

参考例句：

• She watched him confidingly and without any fear, faintly wagging her tail. 木木信任地望着自己最新近的主人，不但没有畏惧，还轻轻地摇着尾巴。 来自互联网

13 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

14 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

16 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

17 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。