Chapter 3 A Strange Disappearrance

    When it was generally known in the school that Rodney was to leave because he had lost his property much sympathy was felt and expressed for him.

    Though he had received more than ordinary attention from the principal on account of his pecuniary¹ position and expectations, this had not impaired² his popularity. He never put on any airs and was on as cordial relations with the poorest student as with the richest.

    "I'm awfully³ sorry you're going, Rodney," said more than one. "Is it really true that you have lost your property?"

    "Yes, it is true."

    "Do you feel bad about it?"

    "I feel sorry, but not discouraged."

    "I say, Rodney," said Ernest Rayner, in a low voice, calling Rodney aside, "are you very short of money?"

    "I haven't much left, Ernest."

    "Because I received five dollars last week as a birthday present. I haven't spent any of it. You can have it as well as not."

    Rodney was much moved. "My dear Ernest," he said, putting his arm caressingly⁴ around the neck of the smaller boy, "you are a true friend. I won't forget your generous offer, though I don't need to accept it."

    "But are you sure you have money enough?" asked Ernest.

    "Yes, I have enough for the present. By the time I need more I shall have earned it."

    There was one boy, already introduced, John Bundy, who did not share in the general feeling of sympathy for Rodney. This was John Bundy.

    He felt that Rodney's departure would leave him the star pupil and give him the chief social position in school. As to scholarship he was not ambitious to stand high in that.

    "I say, Ropes," he said complacently⁵, "I'm to have your room after you're gone."

    "I congratulate you," returned Rodney. "It is an excellent room."

    "Yes, I s'pose it'll make you feel bad. Where are you going?"

    "I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have done."

    "Oh yes, I guess there's no doubt of that. I'm going to get pa to send me some nice pictures to hang on the wall. When you come back here on a visit you'll see how nice it looks."

    "I think it will be a good while before I come here on a visit."

    "Yes. I s'pose it'll make you feel bad. Where are you going?"

    "To the City of New York."

    "You'll have to live in a small hall bedroom there."

    "Why will I?"

    "Because you are poor, and it costs a good deal of money to live in New York. It'll be a great come down."

    "It will indeed, but if I can earn enough to support me in plain style I won't complain. I suppose you'll call and see me when you come to New York?"

    "Perhaps so, if you don't live in a tenement⁶ house. Pa objects to my going to tenement houses. There's no knowing what disease there may be in them."

    "It is well to be prudent⁷" said Rodney, smiling.

    It did not trouble him much to think he was not likely to receive a call from his quondan schoolmate.

    "Here is the balance of your money, Ropes," said Dr. Sampson, drawing a small roll of bills from his pocket, later in the day. "I am quite willing to give you the odd thirty seven cents."

    "Thank you, doctor, but I shan't need it."

    "You are poorly provided. Now I would pay you a good sum for some of your mother's jewelry⁸, as I told you last evening."

    "Thank you," said Rodney hastily, "but I don't care to sell at present."

    "Let me know when you are ready to dispose of the necklace."

    Here the depot⁹ carriage appeared in the street outside and Rodney with his gripsack in one hand and the precious casket in the other, climbed to a seat beside the driver.

    His trunk he left behind, promising¹⁰ to send for it when he had found a new boarding place.

    There was a chorus of good byes. Rodney waved his handkerchief in general farewell, and the carriage started for the depot.

    "Be you goin' for good?" asked Joel, the driver, who knew Rodney well and felt friendly to him.

    "Yes, Joel."

    "It's kind of sudden, isn't it?"

    "Yes."

    "What makes you go?"

    "Bad news, Joel."

    "Be any of your folks dead?"

    "It is not death. I haven't any `folks.' I'm alone in the world.

    It's because I've lost my property and am too poor to remain in school."

    "That's too bad," said the driver in a tone of sympathy. "Where are you goin'?"

    "To the city."

    "Are you goin' to work?"

    "Yes, I shall have to."

    "If you was a little older you might get a chance to drive a street car, but I s'pose you're too young."

    "Yes, I don't think they would take me."

    "I've thought sometimes I should like such a chance myself," said Joel. "I've got tired of the country. I should like to live in the city where there's theaters, and shows, and such like. Do you know what the drivers on street cars get?"

    "No, I never heard."

    "I wish you'd find out and let me know. You can send the letter to Joel Phipps, Groveton. Then find out if it's easy to get such a chance."

    "I will. I shall be glad to oblige you."

    "You always was obligin', Rodney. I've asked Jack¹¹ Bundy to do it -- you know his folks live in the city -- but he never would. He's a mighty¹² disagreeable boy. He never liked you."

    "Didn't he?"

    "No, I surmise¹³ he was jealous of you. He used to say you put on so many airs it made him sick."

    "I don't think any of the other boys would say that."

    "No, but they could say it of him. Do you think his father is rich?"

    "I have always heard that he was."

    "I hope he's better about paying his debt than Jack. I lent him twenty five cents a year ago and I never could get it back."

    The distance from the school to the station was a mile. Joel fetched the carriage round with a sweep and then jumped off, opened the door, and then helped the passengers to disembark, if that word is allowable.

    "How soon does the train start, Joel?" asked Rodney.

    "In about five minutes."

    "Then I had better purchase my ticket without delay."

    "Don't forget to ask about horse car drivers!"

    "No, I won't. I should like to have you come to New York. I know no one there, and I should feel glad to see a familiar face."

    The train came up in time, and Rodney was one of half a dozen passengers who entered the cars.

    He obtained a place next to a stout¹⁴ man dressed in a pepper and salt suit.

    "Is this seat engaged?" asked Rodney.

    "Yes -- to you," and his fellow passenger laughed.

    Rodney laughed too, for he saw that the remark was meant to be jocose¹⁵.

    He put his gripsack on the floor at his feet, but held the casket in his lap. He did not like to run any risk with that.

    "Are you a drummer?" asked the stout man, with a glance at the casket.

    "No, sir."

    "I thought you might be, and that that might contain your samples."

    "No, sir. That is private property."

    He had thought of telling what it contained, but checked himself. He knew nothing of his companion, and was not sure how far it might be safe to trust a stranger.

    "I used to be a drummer myself -- in the jewelry line -- " continued his companion, "and I carried a box just like that."

    "Ah, indeed! Then you are not in that business now?"

    "No, I got tired of it. I deal in quite a different article now."

    "Indeed?"

    "Suburban¹⁶ lot."

    "You don't happen to have any of them with you?"

    The stout man roared with laughter, giving Rodney the impression that he had said a very witty¹⁷ thing.

    "That's a good one," he remarked, "the best I've heard for a long time. No, I haven't any of the lots with me, but I've got a circular. Just cast your eye over that," and he drew a large and showy prospectus¹⁸ from his pocket.

    "If you should be looking for a good investment," he continued, "you can't do any better than buy a lot at Morton Park. It is only eighteen miles from the city and is rapidly building up. You can buy lot on easy installments¹⁹, and I will myself pick one out for you that is almost sure to double in value in a year or two."

    "Thank you," said Rodney, "but I shall have to invest my money, if I get any, in a different way."

    "As what for instance?"

    "In board and lodging²⁰."

    "Good. That is even more necessary than real estate."

    "How long have you been in the business, sir?"

    "About six months."

    "And how does it pay?"

    "Very well, if you know how to talk."

    "I should think you might do well, then."

    "Thank you. I appreciate the compliment. What business are you going into, that is, if you are going to the city?"

    "I am going to the city, but I have no idea yet what I shall do."

    "Perhaps you may like to become an agent for our lots. I shall be ready to employ you as sub agent if you feel disposed."

    "Thank you, sir. If you will give me your card, I may call upon you."

    The short man drew from his card case a business card. It bore the name

    ADIN WOODS. ROYAL BUILDING. NASSAU ST. Morton Park Lots.

    "Come to see me at any time," he said, "and we will talk the matter over."

    Here the train boy came along and Rodney bought a copy of Puck, while the agent resumed the perusal²¹ of a copy of a magazine. For an hour the cars ran smoothly²². Then there was a sudden shock causing all the passengers to start to their feet.

    "We're off the track!" shouted an excitable person in front of Rodney.

    The instinct of self preservation²³ is perhaps stronger than any other. Rodney and his seat mate both jumped to their feet and hurried to the door of the car, not knowing what was in store for them.

    But fortunately the train had not been going rapidly. It was approaching a station and was "slowing up." So, though it had really run off the track, there was not likely to be any injury to the passengers.

    "We are safe," said Adin Woods. "The only harm done is the delay. I hope that won't be long. Suppose we go back to our seat." They returned to the seat which they had jointly²⁴ occupied.

    Then Rodney made an alarming discovery. "My casket!" he exclaimed. "Where is it?"

    "What did you do with it?"

    "Left it on the seat."

    "It may have fallen to the floor."

    Rodney searched for it in feverish²⁵ excitement, but his search was vain. The casket had disappeared!

1 pecuniary   

adj.金钱的；金钱上的

参考例句：

• She denies obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.她否认通过欺骗手段获得经济利益。
• She is so independent that she refused all pecuniary aid.她很独立，所以拒绝一切金钱上的资助。

2 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

4 caressingly   

爱抚地，亲切地

参考例句：

• His voice was caressingly sweet. 他的嗓音亲切而又甜美。

5 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

6 tenement   

n.公寓；房屋

参考例句：

• They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。
• She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里，她觉得很得意。

7 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

8 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

9 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

10 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

11 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。

12 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

13 surmise   

v./n.猜想，推测

参考例句：

• It turned out that my surmise was correct.结果表明我的推测没有错。
• I surmise that he will take the job.我推测他会接受这份工作。

15 jocose   

adj.开玩笑的，滑稽的

参考例句：

• Dr. Daniel was a gleg man of a jocose nature.丹尼尔大夫是一位天生诙谐而反应机敏的人。
• His comic dialogues are jocose and jocular,thought-provoking.他的小品诙谐，逗乐，发人深省。

16 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

17 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

18 prospectus   

n.计划书；说明书；慕股书

参考例句：

• An order form was included with the prospectus.订单附在说明书上。
• The prospectus is the most important instrument of legal document.招股说明书是上市公司信息披露制度最重要法律文件。

19 installments   

部分( installment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The first two installments were pretty close together in 1980. 第一次和节二次提款隔得很近，都是在1980年提的。
• You have an installments sales contract. 你已经订立了一份分期付款的买卖契约了。

20 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

21 perusal   

n.细读，熟读；目测

参考例句：

• Peter Cooke undertook to send each of us a sample contract for perusal.彼得·库克答应给我们每人寄送一份合同样本供阅读。
• A perusal of the letters which we have published has satisfied him of the reality of our claim.读了我们的公开信后，他终于相信我们的要求的确是真的。

22 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

23 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

24 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。

25 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。