Chapter 26 Fred Becomes A Newspaper Hero

 "Lie down instantly! Don't be alarmed! I will save you," said Fred rapidly, as he reached the girl.

 

He spoke¹ in a tone of authority required by the emergency, and Rose obeyed without question. Her terror gave place to confidence in Fred. Her prompt obedience² saved her life. A minute's delay, and it would have been too late.

 

There was a wild rush to the stage. First among those to reach Fred and the little girl was Mr. Wainwright. He had seen his daughter's peril³, and for a moment he had been spellbound, his limbs refusing to act. Had Fred been affected⁴ in the same way, the life of Rose would have been sacrificed.

 

"Are you much hurt, my darling?" he asked, sick with apprehension⁵.

 

"Just a little, papa," answered Rose, cheerfully. "If it hadn't been for Fred, I don't know what would have happened."

 

The coat was carefully removed, and it was found that the chief damage had been to the white dress. The little girl's injuries were of small account.

 

Fortunately there was a physician present, who took Rose in hand, and did what was needed to relieve her.

 

"It is a miracle that she was saved, Mr. Wainwright," he said. "But for this brave boy----"

 

"Hush⁶, doctor, I cannot bear to think of it," said Mr. Wainwright with a shudder⁷. "I can never forget what you have done for me and mine," he added, turning to Fred, and wringing⁸ his hand. "I won't speak of it now, but I shall always remember it."

 

Fred blushed and tried to escape notice, but the guests surrounded him and overwhelmed him with congratulations. One little girl, the intimate friend of Rose, even threw her arms round his neck and kissed him, which caused Fred to blush more furiously then ever. But upon the whole he bore himself so modestly that he won golden opinions from all.

 

The incident put an end to the party. As soon as it was understood that Rose was in no danger, the guests began to take their leave.

 

George Swain and Fred went out together.

 

"Fred, you have shown yourself a hero," said his friend warmly.

 

"You would have done the same thing," said Fred.

 

"Perhaps I should, but I should not have acted so promptly⁹. That was the important point. You had your wits about you. I was sitting beside you, but before I had time to collect my thoughts you had saved Rose."

 

"I acted on the impulse of the moment."

 

"How did you know just what to do--making her lie down, you know?"

 

"I read an account of a similar case some months since. It came to me in a moment, and I acted upon it."

 

"If I ever catch fire, I hope you'll be on hand to put me out."

 

"Oh, yes," laughed Fred. "I'll stand you on your head directly."

 

"Thank you! It's a good thing to have a considerate friend."

 

"Did you have a pleasant evening, Fred?" asked Mrs. Fenton. "Are you not home earlier than you expected?"

 

"Yes, mother. There was as an accident that broke up the party."

 

He described the affair, but said nothing of his own part in it.

 

The next morning, after Fred had taken breakfast and gone to business, a neighbor came in.

 

"I congratulate you, Mrs. Fenton," she said. "You have a right to be proud of Fred."

 

"Thank you," said the widow, puzzled. "I'm glad you think well of him."

 

"There's few boys that would have done what he did."

 

"What has he done?" asked Mrs. Fenton, stopping short on her way to the pantry.

 

"You don't mean to say you don't know? Why, it's in all the papers."

 

"I am sure I don't know what you are talking about."

 

"Didn't I tell you how he saved the little girl from burning to death?"

 

"Was it Fred who saved her? He didn't tell me that."

 

"Of course it was. Read that, now!"

 

She put in the hand of the widow a copy of the _Sun_ in which the whole scene was vividly¹⁰ described.

 

"What do you say now, Mrs. Fenton?"

 

"That I am all the more proud of Fred because he did not boast of what he did," and a look of pride shone in the widow's eyes.

 

That morning, when Raymond Ferguson entered the breakfast-room rather later than usual, he found his father reading a paragraph in the Sun with every appearance of surprise.

 

"What is it, papa?" asked Raymond.

 

"Read that!"

 

Raymond took the paper, and his eye was drawn¹¹ to some conspicuous¹² headlines.

 

A NARROW ESCAPE FROM A TERRIBLE DEATH!

 

A BROKER¹³'S DAUGHTER IN FLAMES!

 

SAVED BY A BOY'S HEROISM¹⁴!

 

A TRAGIC¹⁵ SCENE AT A NEW YEAR'S PARTY!

 

"Why, it's Rose Wainwright!" said Raymond excitedly. "Whom do you think I saw on his way to the party last evening?"

 

"Fred Fenton."

 

"How did you hear it?" asked Raymond in surprise.

 

"Read the account and you will understand."

 

This is what Raymond read:

 

Last evening a terrible tragedy came near being enacted¹⁶ at the house of the well-known broker, John Wainwright. The occasion was a juvenile¹⁸ party given by his little daughter Rose, eleven years of age. One part of the entertainment provided was a series of tableaux¹⁹ upon a miniature stage at one end of the dining-room. All went well till the third tableau²⁰, in which the young hostess took part, She incautiously approached too near the footlights, when her white dress caught fire and instantly blazed up. All present were spellbound, and it seemed as if the little girl's fate was sealed. Luckily one of the young guests, Fred Fenton, retained his coolness and presence of mind. Without an instant's delay he sprang upon the stage, directed the little girl to lie down, and wrapped his coat around her. Thanks to his promptitude, she escaped with slight injuries. By the time the rest of those present recovered from the spell of terror, Rose was saved.

 

We understand that the brave boy who displayed such heroic qualities was formerly²¹ a train boy on the Erie Railroad, but is now employed in the office of Mr. Wainwright.

 

Raymond read this account with lowering brow. He felt sick with jealousy²². Why had he not been lucky enough to receive an invitation to the party, and enact¹⁷ the part of a deliverer? He did not ask himself whether, if the opportunity had been afforded, he would have availed himself of it. It is fortunate for Rose that she had Fred to depend upon in her terrible emergency, and not Raymond Ferguson. There was little that was heroic about him. A hero must be unselfish, and Raymond was the incarnation of selfishness.

 

"Your cousin seems to have become quite a hero," said Mr. Ferguson, as Raymond looked up from the paper.

 

"Don't call him my cousin! I don't care to own him."

 

"I don't know," said his father, who was quite as selfish, but not as malicious²³ as Raymond. "I am not sure but it will be considered a credit to us to have such a relative."

 

"Anybody could have done as much as he did," said Raymond in a tone of discontent. "Here's some news of your train-boy, Luella," he continued, as his sister entered the room.

 

"Has he been arrested?" asked Luella listlessly.

 

"Not at all! He turns out to be a hero," said her father.

 

"I suppose that is a joke."

 

"Read the paper and see."

 

The young lady read the account with as little pleasure as Raymond.

 

"How on earth came a boy like that at the Wainwrights' house?" she said with a curl of the lip. "Really, society is getting very much mixed."

 

"Perhaps," said her father, "it was his relationship to the future Countess Cattelli."

 

Luella smiled complacently²⁴. She had fallen in with an Italian count, an insignificant²⁵ looking man, very dark and with jet black hair and mustache, of whom she knew very little except that he claimed to be a count. She felt that he would propose soon, and she had decided²⁶ to accept him. She did not pretend to love him, but it would be such a triumph to be addressed as the Countess Cattelli. She would let Alfred Lindsay see that she could do without him. 

1 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。

2 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

3 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

4 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。

5 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

6 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！

7 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

8 wringing   

淋湿的，湿透的

参考例句：

• He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
• He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。

9 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

10 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

11 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。

12 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

13 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

14 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

15 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

16 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

17 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

18 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

19 tableaux   

n.舞台造型，（由活人扮演的）静态画面、场面；人构成的画面或场景( tableau的名词复数 )；舞台造型；戏剧性的场面；绚丽的场景

参考例句：

• He developed less a coherent analysis than a series of brilliant tableaux. 与其说他作了一个前后连贯的分析，倒不如说他描绘了一系列出色的场景。 来自辞典例句
• There was every kind of table, from fantasy to tableaux of New England history. 各种各样的故事，从幻想到新英格兰的历史场面，无所不有。 来自辞典例句

20 tableau   

n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面）

参考例句：

• The movie was a tableau of a soldier's life.这部电影的画面生动地描绘了军人的生活。
• History is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.历史不过是由罪恶和灾难构成的静止舞台造型罢了。

21 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

22 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

23 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

24 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

25 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

26 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。