Chapter 37 Searching The Cottage

"Colonel Ross, your suspicions are very insulting and entirely¹ unwarranted," said the Widow Gilbert, with a flush on her usually pale cheek.

"Of course I knew you would not believe anything against your son, whom you believe to be a model," said Colonel Ross, with a sneer².

"So he is--a model!" said the widow, warmly.

"Then all I can say is that there is a strong reason to suspect that this model son of yours is a thief."

"I deny it."

"I notice, however, that you are afraid to have the house searched."

"I have never expressed any unwillingness³."

"Then I understand that you give your consent."

"I do."

"Very well. Then allow me to call in a party not interested, who will attend to that duty."

Colonel Ross went to the outer door, and, opening it, called:

"Constable⁴, you are wanted!"

At this summons a tall, stout⁵ man--Mr. Rogers, the village constable--came forward, as it seemed, rather reluctantly.

"Constable," said Colonel Ross, "Mrs. Gilbert has given her consent to have the house searched for the bonds which were abstracted from my trunk last evening."

"Mr. Rogers," said Mrs. Gilbert, who knew the constable well, "Colonel Ross has made a cruel and unwarranted charge against Harry⁶. I hope you don't believe he is a thief."

"I don't," said the constable, bluntly. "I've known your boy ever since he was a baby, and I never knew him to do a mean thing."

"Constable," said Colonel Ross, angrily, "it does not become you to screen the guilty or make excuses for him."

"It strikes me you're rather too fast, Colonel Ross, in making him out guilty. What proof have you of it?"

"My son's word."

"Oh!" said the constable, expressively⁷.

"You have only to do your duty and search the house, and I venture to predict that the evidence will be forthcoming that will convince even you."

"Mrs. Gilbert," said the constable, "I hope you'll excuse me for obeying the Colonel. I have to do it, you know."

"Do your duty, Mr. Rogers. We are not afraid to have the house searched from top to bottom."

"I don't want to disturb your things, Mrs. Gilbert. Suppose you go round and open everything to us."

"If that will be satisfactory to Colonel Ross. I want him satisfied."

"As long as I am present, with a right to examine, I shall not object."

"It seems to me, Colonel Ross," remarked Uncle Obed, "you are not treating the boy right."

"It is immaterial to me what you think, Mr. Wilkins," replied the Colonel, with asperity⁸.

"Mebbe so," said the old man. "I calculate it won't always be so. The time may come when you will care more for my opinion."

"You flatter yourself unduly⁹, Mr. Wilkins, I assure you."

"Mebbe so," answered the old man, not appearing at all discomposed by the rude tone of his niece's husband.

"We will begin here, gentlemen," said Mrs. Gilbert.

So saying, she went about from place to place down below, opening whatever drawers there were, even in the pantry, and revealing nothing that looked like the bonds.

"I didn't expect they were downstairs," said the Colonel.

"Then we will go upstairs. You shall not say that we have concealed¹⁰ anything or shrunk from any investigation¹¹."

"Very well."

Mrs. Gilbert thereupon led the way upstairs, and the search began. Finally, they came to her own bureau. The upper drawer was opened, and the sharp eyes of the Colonel detected a large envelope. It was the one that contained the bonds which had been presented to Harry for his service in ferreting out the burglars in the wood.

Singular as it may seem, neither Harry nor his mother had thought of them, and the false inference that might be drawn¹² from their discovery. It was natural, therefore, that each should look startled and discomposed.

"Ha! what have we here?" demanded Colonel Ross, clutching the envelope.

"Those are my property," said Harry, who was the first to recover his self-possession.

"I will take the liberty to examine. Ha! government bonds, as I live. Constable, what do you say now?" demanded the Colonel, triumphantly¹³.

The constable, who knew nothing of Harry's gift, looked very uncomfortable indeed. Despite his belief in Harry's honesty, he was staggered by this apparent evidence to the contrary.

"What is this, Mrs. Gilbert?" he asked.

"They are bonds belonging to Harry. He speaks the truth."

"A likely story," exclaimed Colonel Ross. "Really, Mrs. Gilbert, your conduct is most extraordinary. I begin to think you had some knowledge of your son's act."

"Colonel Ross, don't you dare to insult my mother," said Harry, so fiercely that the Colonel retreated a little, under the impression that our hero intended to make an insult upon him.

"Be careful, boy," he warned. "I've caught you red-handed in the commission of a crime that may send you to State's prison. You'd better take heed¹⁴ what you say!"

"Mr. Rogers," said Mrs. Gilbert, "that envelope contains government bonds that belong to my son. Ask Colonel Ross how many he lost."

"Two bonds of a hundred dollars each," answered the Colonel. "And here they are," he continued, producing two bonds of that denomination¹⁵ from the envelope.

"Look again. See if there are no more," said Harry.

The Colonel, evidently surprised, produced a fifty.

"Do you mean to say that you lost that, also?" inquired Harry.

"No," replied the Colonel, evidently puzzled; "you must have got that from somewhere else."

"I got the whole somewhere else," said Harry.

"It is entirely useless, Harry Gilbert, to attempt to impose upon me by any such ridiculous story. As to the extra bond, I don't know where it came from. Perhaps your mother had it before. It doesn't alter the fact that I have found my stolen bonds in your possession."

"When did you lose your bonds?" asked Uncle Obed, who thought it time to "put in his oar," as he afterward¹⁶ expressed it.

"Last evening."

"You're sure you had 'em up to that time, are you?"

"Yes; I looked them over, and counted them early in the evening."

"Then, all I can say is that the bonds you've got in your hands have been in the house several days. Harry showed them to me when he first got 'em."

"Really, Mr. Wilkins, I don't like to doubt the word of an old man like you; but, sir, your statement is absolutely incredible."

"It is true," said Mrs. Gilbert. "I, too, assert the same thing."

"Then you are all in a conspiracy," said Colonel Ross, in a passion.

"And you have evidently plotted the ruin of an innocent boy," said Mrs. Gilbert, with spirit.

"You have always pretended to be poor," continued Colonel Ross, "and now you expect me to believe that your son owns nearly three hundred dollars' worth of bonds!"

"I do, for it is true."

"Where did he get them?"

"They were given him."

"Utterly¹⁷ absurd! People don't often give boys such presents as that. Constable, I call on you to arrest that boy."

"Where is your warrant, Colonel?"

"Arrest him on suspicion."

"I could not do it."

"Then you mean to connive¹⁸ at his escape?"

"No; I'll stay here to-night, if you insist upon it."

"Do so, and I will take the bonds."

"Lay them down, Colonel Ross; they are my property!" said Harry, sternly.

"You can't be allowed to take 'em, Colonel, till you prove that they are yours. One you admit is not," said the constable.

"It doesn't matter much," replied the Colonel, discomfited¹⁹. "They will find their way back to me soon. This boy won't take on so high a tone tomorrow."

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

3 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

4 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

6 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。

7 expressively   

ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地

参考例句：

• She gave the order to the waiter, using her hands very expressively. 她意味深长地用双手把订单递给了服务员。
• Corleone gestured expressively, submissively, with his hands. "That is all I want." 说到这里，考利昂老头子激动而谦恭地表示：“这就是我的全部要求。” 来自教父部分

8 asperity   

n.粗鲁，艰苦

参考例句：

• He spoke to the boy with asperity.他严厉地对那男孩讲话。
• The asperity of the winter had everybody yearning for spring.严冬之苦让每个人都渴望春天。

9 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

10 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

14 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

15 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

16 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

17 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

18 connive   

v.纵容；密谋

参考例句：

• They connive children excessively which will bring a negative effect on theirs character.他们过分纵容孩子，这对孩子的性格有不良影响。
• Senior politicians connived to ensure that he was not released.几位资深政治家串通起来确保他不会获释。

19 discomfited   

v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败

参考例句：

• He was discomfited by the unexpected questions. 意料不到的问题使得他十分尴尬。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He will be particularly discomfited by the minister's dismissal of his plan. 部长对他计划的不理会将使他特别尴尬。 来自辞典例句