Chapter 21

　　Lupin is discharged. We are in great trouble. Lupin gets engagedelsewhere at a handsome salary.

　　May 13. - A terrible misfortune has happened: Lupin is dischargedfrom Mr. Perkupp's office; and I scarcely know how I am writing my diary.

　　I was away from office last Sat., the first time I have been absent throughillness for twenty years. I believe I was poisoned by some lobster¹. Mr.

　　Perkupp was also absent, as Fate would have it; and our most valuedcustomer, Mr. Crowbillon, went to the office in a rage, and withdrew hiscustom. My boy Lupin not only had the assurance to receive him, butrecommended him the firm of Gylterson, Sons and Co. Limited. In myown humble² judgment³, and though I have to say it against my own son,this seems an act of treachery.

　　This morning I receive a letter from Perkupp, informing me thatLupin's services are no longer required, and an interview with me isdesired at eleven o'clock. I went down to the office with an aching heart,dreading an interview with Mr. Perkupp, with whom I have never had aword. I saw nothing of Lupin in the morning. He had not got up whenit was time for me to leave, and Carrie said I should do no good bydisturbing him. My mind wandered so at the office that I could not domy work properly.

　　As I expected, I was sent for by Mr. Perkupp, and the followingconversation ensued as nearly as I can remember it.

　　Mr. Perkupp said: "Good-morning, Mr. Pooter! This is a veryserious business. I am not referring so much to the dismissal of your son,for I knew we should have to part sooner or later. I am the head of thisold, influential⁵, and much-respected firm; and when I consider the timehas come to revolutionise the business, I will do it myself."I could see my good master was somewhat affected⁶, and I said: "Ihope, sir, you do not imagine that I have in any way countenanced⁷ myson's unwarrantable interference?" Mr. Perkupp rose from his seat and took my hand, and said: "Mr. Pooter, I would as soon suspect myself assuspect you." I was so agitated⁸ that in the confusion, to show mygratitude I very nearly called him a "grand old man."Fortunately I checked myself in time, and said he was a "grand oldmaster." I was so unaccountable for my actions that I sat down, leavinghim standing⁹. Of course, I at once rose, but Mr. Perkupp bade me sitdown, which I was very pleased to do. Mr. Perkupp, resuming, said:

　　"You will understand, Mr. Pooter, that the high- standing nature of ourfirm will not admit of our bending to anybody. If Mr. Crowbillonchooses to put his work into other hands - I may add, less experiencedhands - it is not for us to bend and beg back his custom." "You SHALLnot do it, sir," I said with indignation. "Exactly," replied Mr. Perkupp; "Ishall NOT do it. But I was thinking this, Mr. Pooter. Mr. Crowbillon isour most valued client, and I will even confess - for I know this will not gobeyond ourselves - that we cannot afford very well to lose him, especiallyin these times, which are not of the brightest. Now, I fancy you can be ofservice."I replied: "Mr. Perkupp, I will work day and night to serve you!"Mr. Perkupp said: "I know you will. Now, what I should like youto do is this. You yourself might write to Mr. Crowbillon - you must not,of course, lead him to suppose I know anything about your doing so - andexplain to him that your son was only taken on as a clerk - quite aninexperienced one in fact - out of the respect the firm had for you, Mr.

　　Pooter. This is, of course, a fact. I don't suggest that you should speakin too strong terms of your own son's conduct; but I may add, that had hebeen a son of mine, I should have condemned¹⁰ his interference with nomeasured terms. That I leave to you. I think the result will be that Mr.

　　Crowbillon will see the force of the foolish step he has taken, and our firmwill neither suffer in dignity nor in pocket."I could not help thinking what a noble gentleman Mr. Perkupp is. Hismanners and his way of speaking seem to almost thrill one with respect.

　　I said: "Would you like to see the letter before I send it?"Mr. Perkupp said: "Oh no! I had better not. I am supposed toknow nothing about it, and I have every confidence in you. You must write the letter carefully. We are not very busy; you had better take themorning to-morrow, or the whole day if you like. I shall be here myselfall day to-morrow, in fact all the week, in case Mr. Crowbillon shouldcall."I went home a little more cheerful, but I left word with Sarah that Icould not see either Gowing or Cummings, nor in fact anybody, if theycalled in the evening. Lupin came into the parlour for a moment with anew hat on, and asked my opinion of it. I said I was not in the mood tojudge of hats, and I did not think he was in a position to buy a new one.

　　Lupin replied carelessly: "I didn't buy it; it was a present."I have such terrible suspicions of Lupin now that I scarcely like to askhim questions, as I dread⁴ the answers so. He, however, saved me thetrouble.

　　He said: "I met a friend, an old friend, that I did not quite think afriend at the time; but it's all right. As he wisely said, 'all is fair in loveand war,' and there was no reason why we should not be friends still.

　　He's a jolly, good, all-round sort of fellow, and a very different stamp fromthat inflated¹¹ fool of a Perkupp."I said: "Hush¹², Lupin! Do not pray add insult to injury."Lupin said: "What do you mean by injury? I repeat, I have done noinjury. Crowbillon is simply tired of a stagnant¹³ stick-in-the-mud firm,and made the change on his own account. I simply recommended thenew firm as a matter of biz - good old biz!"I said quietly: "I don't understand your slang, and at my time of lifehave no desire to learn it; so, Lupin, my boy, let us change the subject. Iwill, if it please you, TRY and be interested in your new hat adventure."Lupin said: "Oh! there's nothing much about it, except I have notonce seen him since his marriage, and he said he was very pleased to seeme, and hoped we should be friends. I stood a drink to cement thefriendship, and he stood me a new hat - one of his own."I said rather wearily: "But you have not told me your old friend'sname?"Lupin said, with affected carelessness: "Oh didn't I? Well, I will.

　　It was MURRAY POSH." May 14. - Lupin came down late, and seeing me at home all themorning, asked the reason of it. Carrie and I both agreed it was better tosay nothing to him about the letter I was writing, so I evaded¹⁴ the question.

　　Lupin went out, saying he was going to lunch with Murray Posh in theCity. I said I hoped Mr. Posh would provide him with a berth¹⁵. Lupinwent out laughing, saying: "I don't mind WEARING Posh's one- pricedhats, but I am not going to SELL them." Poor boy, I fear he is perfectlyhopeless.

　　It took me nearly the whole day to write to Mr. Crowbillon. Once ortwice I asked Carrie for suggestions; and although it seems ungrateful, hersuggestions were none of them to the point, while one or two wereabsolutely idiotic¹⁶. Of course I did not tell her so. I got the letter off,and took it down to the office for Mr. Perkupp to see, but he againrepeated that he could trust me.

　　Gowing called in the evening, and I was obliged to tell him aboutLupin and Mr. Perkupp; and, to my surprise, he was quite inclined to sidewith Lupin. Carrie joined in, and said she thought I was taking much toomelancholy a view of it. Gowing produced a pint¹⁸ sample-bottle ofMadeira, which had been given him, which he said would get rid of theblues. I dare say it would have done so if there had been more of it; butas Gowing helped himself to three glasses, it did not leave much for Carrieand me to get rid of the blues¹⁹ with.

　　May 15. - A day of great anxiety, for I expected every moment a letterfrom Mr. Crowbillon. Two letters came in the evening - one for me, with"Crowbillon Hall" printed in large gold-and-red letters on the back of theenvelope; the other for Lupin, which I felt inclined to open and read, as ithad "Gylterson, Sons, and Co. Limited," which was the recommendedfirm. I trembled as I opened Mr. Crowbillon's letter. I wrote himsixteen pages, closely written; he wrote me less than sixteen lines.

　　His letter was: "Sir, - I totally disagree with you. Your son, in thecourse of five minutes' conversation, displayed more intelligence thanyour firm has done during the last five years. - Yours faithfully, Gilbert E.

　　Gillam O. Crowbillon."What am I to do? Here is a letter that I dare not show to Mr. Perkupp, and would not show to Lupin for anything. The crisis had yet to come;for Lupin arrived, and, opening his letter, showed a cheque for 25 poundsas a commission for the recommendation of Mr. Crowbillon, whosecustom to Mr. Perkupp is evidently lost for ever. Cummings and Gowingboth called, and both took Lupin's part. Cummings went so far as to saythat Lupin would make a name yet. I suppose I was melancholy¹⁷, for Icould only ask: "Yes, but what sort of a name?"May 16. - I told Mr. Perkupp the contents of the letter in a modifiedform, but Mr. Perkupp said: "Pray don't discuss the matter; it is at an end.

　　Your son will bring his punishment upon himself." I went home in theevening, thinking of the hopeless future of Lupin. I found him in mostextravagant spirits and in evening dress. He threw a letter on the tablefor me to read.

　　To my amazement²⁰, I read that Gylterson and Sons had absolutelyengaged Lupin at a salary of 200 pounds a year, with other advantages. Iread the letter through three times and thought it must have been for me.

　　But there it was - Lupin Pooter - plain enough. I was silent. Lupin said:

　　"What price Perkupp now? You take my tip, Guv. - 'off' with Perkuppand freeze on to Gylterson, the firm of the future! Perkupp's firm? Thestagnant dummies²¹ have been standing still for years, and now are movingback. I want to go on. In fact I must go OFF, as I am dining with theMurray Poshs to-night."In the exuberance²² of his spirits he hit his hat with his stick, gave a loudwar "Whoo-oop," jumped over a chair, and took the liberty of rumplingmy hair all over my forehead, and bounced out of the room, giving me nochance of reminding him of his age and the respect which was due to hisparent. Gowing and Cummings came in the evening, and positivelycheered me up with congratulations respecting Lupin.

　　Gowing said: "I always said he would get on, and, take my word, hehas more in his head than we three put together."Carrie said: "He is a second Hardfur Huttle."

1 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

2 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 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。

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 countenanced   

v.支持，赞同，批准( countenance的过去式 )

参考例句：

8 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

13 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

14 evaded   

逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。
• The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。

15 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

16 idiotic   

adj.白痴的

参考例句：

• It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
• The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。

17 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

18 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

19 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

20 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

21 dummies   

n.仿制品( dummy的名词复数 )；橡皮奶头；笨蛋；假传球

参考例句：

• If he dummies up, just try a little persuasion. 如果他不说话，稍微劝劝他就是了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All the articles in the window are dummies. 橱窗里的全部物品都是仿制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 exuberance   

n.丰富；繁荣

参考例句：

• Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
• The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。