Chapter 19 Ruth Patton Calls On Mr. Ferguson

 The next day Ruth Patton confided¹ her story to Mrs. Fenton.

 

"My mother and I," she said, "in our grief for father's death, never dreamed that it would bring us destitution². Though he never furnished us particulars of his pecuniary³ condition, he gave us to understand that he would be comfortably provided for. Robert Ferguson we knew to have been a life-long friend, or perhaps I should rather say acquaintance, and we felt that as a trustee he would consider our interests. We were thunderstruck when a letter was received from him last week, stating that, in place of the ten thousand dollars on which we fully⁴ counted, a pitiful balance of seventy-five dollars alone remained to us."

 

"It was shameful⁵!" said Mrs. Fenton indignantly.

 

"Nearly all of this sum will be swallowed up by small debts due in Port Jervis. You will understand now why I have come to lay our case before Mr. Ferguson, and see if he cannot give us more, or at any rate find me employment, for on me now rests the duty of providing for my poor mother."

 

"I wish I could encourage you, Miss Patton----"

 

"Don't call me Miss Patton. I look upon yon as a kind friend, and hope you will call me Ruth."

 

"So indeed I will, for I feel a strong interest in you, Ruth."

 

"And I will look to you for advice."

 

"Then I advise you to call this evening on Mr. Ferguson, and find out the worst."

 

"Meanwhile perhaps you can direct me to a cheap boarding-house."

 

"You will stay here till you have had time to form your plans."

 

"I will gladly do so if you will let me pay you."

 

"All in good time, Ruth. To-day you can help me if you will, and it will be time to pay board when you are earning something."

 

It was not till he sat down to an early breakfast that Fred thought of the package handed him by Mr. Lawrence at the Niagara Falls station. He opened it in some curiosity, and to his surprise discovered a roll of bills, accompanied by this note:

 

To FRED FENTON,

 

MY YOUNG FRIEND:--Though I have not yet had a chance to communicate with my uncle in Elmira, I feel authorized⁶ to act as his representative, and in his name ask you to accept the inclosed sum as an acknowledgment of your valuable assistance in bringing about the recovery of the securities stolen from his house, and incidentally as a recompense for the annoyance⁷ you experienced in being yourself suspected. Your conduct has been very creditable, and I feel that to you we are largely indebted for the recovery of the property and the conviction of the burglar. I infer that you are mainly dependent, on your earnings⁸, which are probably limited, and I therefore take pleasure in handing you a substantial reward which I hope will be of service to you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

EDMUND LAWRENCE.

 

Fred counted the bills, and alike to his surprise and gratification found that they amounted to two hundred dollars.

 

"Where did you get so much money, Fred?" asked his mother, entering the room as he completed his count.

 

"That letter will explain, mother," answered Fred radiant with delight.

 

"We are indeed rich!" said Mrs. Fenton joyfully⁹. "This removes all anxiety for a long time to come."

 

"Yes, we can afford to snap our fingers at the landlord."

 

"I hope you are not going to carry all this money round with you, Fred. You might get robbed."

 

"I shall deposit it in the Dime¹⁰ Savings¹¹ Bank this forenoon."

 

"But you will leave before the bank opens."

 

"No, I am to take a midday train."

 

At ten o'clock Fred went to the Union Dime Savings Bank fronting on Thirty-Second Street, and deposited the hundred dollars in gold left him by his mining friend, and one hundred and seventy-five dollars besides from his recent gift. The other twenty-five he handed to his mother.

 

"Mother," he said, "you need a new dress, and Albert needs a new suit. Take this money, and buy what you think best."

 

"I can go a little longer without a dress, Fred."

 

"But I don't want you to. We can spare the money well enough, and there is no better way to spend it."

 

Mrs. Fenton made no further opposition¹², but during the day asked Ruth Patton to accompany her to one of the large stores on Sixth Avenue, where the necessary purchases were made.

 

In the evening Ruth set out for her call upon Mr. Robert Ferguson.

 

She ascended¹³ the steps in a state of nervous agitation¹⁵, for she felt that the interview was of momentous¹⁶ importance to her, and in a low voice asked the servant who answered the bell if she could see Mr. Ferguson.

 

"I will ask, miss," said the servant, surveying her plain dress with some disdain¹⁷.

 

"A young lady to see me?" said Robert Ferguson in surprise. "Are you sure it is not my daughter she wishes to see?"

 

"No, sir; she expressly asked to see you."

 

Mr. Ferguson was a widower¹⁸, and rather vain of his personal attractions. Perhaps the young lady might have been struck by his appearance.

 

"You can show her up," he said amiably¹⁹, and turned to catch a further glance in a mirror just opposite. He straightened his necktie, and passed his hand softly over his hair to make sure that it was smooth, and then turned to the door to catch the first glimpse of his visitor.

 

Nothing thus far has been said of the outward appearance of Ruth Patton. Notwithstanding her anxious face she was unusually pretty, and her manners were refined and ladylike.

 

"Mr. Ferguson?" she said inquiringly, pausing at the door.

 

"Come in, my dear young lady!" said Robert Ferguson graciously. "I am pleased to see you."

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

"Pray sit down."

 

"He is much kinder than I supposed," thought Ruth. "I must have misjudged him."

 

"I wrote to you a few days since," she began.

 

"Indeed! I don't think I can have received your letter."

 

"But you answered it, sir."

 

"I answered a letter from you? What then is your name?"

 

"Ruth Patton."

 

"Oh!" returned Ferguson, his face darkening. He no longer felt inclined to be gracious, for he had a premonition that the interview would not be agreeable to him.

 

"My mother and I were quite overwhelmed by the news you sent us. We had no idea that my father left so little, and she wished me to come on and ask for some particulars."

 

"I have very little to tell you beyond what I wrote," said Mr. Ferguson coldly.

 

"My father led us to think that we should be comfortably provided for."

 

"Many men have very vague ideas of how they stand. Your father did wrong in not insuring his life."

 

"He did not think it would be necessary. He thought we should be sufficiently²⁰ provided for without that."

 

"He had no right to think so," said Ferguson irritably²¹. "You see how things have turned out."

 

"But what can have become of all the money?"

 

"I hope, Miss Patton, you don't think I have spirited it away?"

 

"No, sir. Don't be offended, but it seems so strange," faltered²² Ruth.

 

"The money was unwisely invested. A large part of it was in wild-cat mining stocks, which were not worth the paper they were written on."

 

"Father never spoke²³ to us about any such investments."

 

"I presume not. Most men keep such matters to themselves. Well, the upshot is that but seventy-five dollars are left. I presume your mother received my check for this amount."

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Then that is all I can do for you. I will in time forward a bill of particulars. A present I am busy."

 

At this moment Luella Ferguson entered the room. She recognized Ruth at once.

 

"You here?" she said in haughty²⁴ surprise.

 

"Yes, I came on business."

 

"We do not want any servants. Papa, this girl was very insolent²⁵ to me on the train yesterday. I hope you will send her away."

 

"I am going, Miss Ferguson," said Ruth with spirit. "Your father was the trustee of my poor father's property, and it was to ask about it that I came here. Good evening."

 

She left the house with faltering²⁶ steps, for her last hope had been destroyed, and she felt keenly the cruel slight of Luella Ferguson. As she set foot on the sidewalk her brain reeled, and she would have fallen had not a young man who was about to ascend¹⁴ the steps sprung forward and supported her.

1 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 destitution   

n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷

参考例句：

• The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

6 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

7 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

8 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

9 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

10 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

11 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

15 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

16 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

17 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

18 widower   

n.鳏夫

参考例句：

• George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
• Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。

19 amiably   

adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地

参考例句：

• She grinned amiably at us. 她咧着嘴向我们亲切地微笑。
• Atheists and theists live together peacefully and amiably in this country. 无神论者和有神论者在该国和睦相处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

21 irritably   

ad.易生气地

参考例句：

• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
• On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

22 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

23 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。

24 haughty   

adj.傲慢的，高傲的

参考例句：

• He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
• They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。

25 insolent   

adj.傲慢的，无理的

参考例句：

• His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
• It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。

26 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。