Chapter 12 An Unexpected Invitation

"Come here, will you!"

Harry¹ Gilbert turned around, for the call was evidently addressed to him, and saw, standing² on the piazza³ of the hotel, James Congreve.

"Come here a moment. I want to speak to you," said Congreve, taking from his mouth the cigar he was smoking.

Harry was surprised. He had scarcely any acquaintance with Congreve, whom he knew chiefly as a companion of Philip Ross. Hitherto he had taken no notice of Harry--a circumstance not regretted by our hero, who had not formed a favorable opinion of the young man.

"Do you wish to speak to me?" he asked, politely.

"Yes," said James, blandly⁴. "May I offer you a cigar?"

"Thank you, I don't smoke," returned Harry, with increased surprise at Congreve's friendly tone.

"It's a bad habit; I dare say you are right," said Congreve gladly. "I mean to break off soon. But what I wanted to ask you was: Do you know your way about the Pegan Hill Woods?"

"Yes; I've been there often."

"Then you are just the companion I want. I am thinking of exploring them with my gun. I suppose I am likely to find some birds?"

"Oh, yes; it's a good place for a sportsman."

"Suppose you come with me. We can have a pleasant afternoon."

Harry hesitated. He did not wish to be disobliging, nor did he wish to sacrifice the afternoon. As he did not specially⁵ fancy Congreve, he did not expect any pleasure from his company, though the young man seemed disposed to be cordial. This Harry explained to himself by Congreve's desire to secure his services as a guide, and, therefore, did not feel much flattered.

James Congreve noticed and understood his hesitation⁶.

"Of course," he said, "I do not wish to take up your time without compensation. I will pay you fifty cents for your services."

This put a different face on the matter. Fifty cents was very good pay for an afternoon's work, and Harry at once decided⁷ that he could not let slip so good an opportunity.

"If you think my company will be worth that to you," he said, "I am quite willing. How long do you want to stay?"

"I intend to return in time for supper."

"Then it won't be necessary to go home and tell my mother where I am going."

"Oh, dear, no! You will be back before she has time to miss you."

"When do you want to go?"

"At once. I will go in and get my gun and be with you in a moment."

"Unexpected things seem to happen to me pretty often," thought Harry. "I never expected we should have an uncle of Mrs. Ross as a boarder, and here is Philip's intimate friend hiring me as a guide. Somehow, my destiny seems to be closely connected with Philip's, though we are about as far from being friends as any two boys can be."

"Is any one going with you?" asked Harry when Congreve came out of the hotel with his gun.

"No one except you."

"I don't know where Philip is this afternoon," said Congreve carelessly.

Harry rather wondered whether Philip and his companion had had a quarrel. It would not have surprised him very much, for Philip was quite in the habit of quarreling with his associates.

"How far is it to the edge of the woods?" asked Congreve.

"About a mile and a half."

"Quite a good distance. However, it's early, and we shall have time enough."

Part of their course lay through the fields and meadows.

As they neared the woods, suddenly Congreve said, in a tone of well-counterfeited surprise:

"Why, there is Philip Ross sitting on a rock! I wonder what brought him here? Hello, Philip!"

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 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。

3 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

4 blandly   

adv.温和地，殷勤地

参考例句：

• There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. 布里斯托尔有那么一帮人为此恨透了布兰德利。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• \"Maybe you could get something in the stage line?\" he blandly suggested. “也许你能在戏剧这一行里找些事做，\"他和蔼地提议道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

6 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。