Chapter 22 The Coming Of The Magician

 The week passed and Luke carefully avoided our hero going so far as to cross the street so as not to meet him. On Saturday evening, according to his arrangement, Luke was to have paid the surplus of his wages, after meeting his board bill, to Mr. Merrill, for Harry¹.

 

But he did not go near him. On Monday, the tailor meeting him, inquired why he had not kept his agreement.

 

"The fact is," said Luke, "I have been unlucky."

 

"How unlucky?"

 

"I had my wages loose in my pocket, and managed to lose them somehow."

 

"That is very singular," said the tailor, suspiciously.

 

"Why is it singular?" asked Luke. "Didn't Harry Walton lose his money?"

 

"You seem to have lost yours at a very convenient time."

 

"It's hard on me," said Luke. "Owing so much, I want to pay as quick as I can, so as to have my wages to myself. Don't you see that?"

 

"Where do you think you lost the money?"

 

"I'm sure I don't know," said Luke.

 

"Well," said Merrill, dryly, "I hope you will take better care of your wages next Saturday evening."

 

"I mean to. I can't afford to lose anymore."

 

"I don't believe, a word of what he says about losing his money," said the tailor, privately², to Harry. "I think it's only a trick to get rid of paying you."

 

"Don't you think he'll pay me?" asked Harry.

 

"He won't if he can help it," was the answer. "He's a slippery customer. I believe his money is in his pocket at this moment."

 

Mr. Merrill was not quite right; but it was only as to the whereabouts of the money. It was in Luke's trunk. He intended to run away, leaving all his creditors³ in the lurch⁴. This was the "new way to pay old debts," which occurred to Luke as much the easiest.

 

The next Saturday evening, Mr. Merrill waited in vain for a call from his debtor⁵.

 

"What excuse will he have now?" he thought.

 

On Monday morning he learned that Luke had left town without acquainting anyone with his destination. It transpired⁶, also, that he was owing at his boarding house for two weeks' board. He was thus enabled to depart with nearly thirty dollars, for parts unknown.

 

"He's a hard case," said Mr. Merrill to Harry. "I am afraid he means to owe us for a long time to come."

 

"Where do you think he is gone?" asked Harry.

 

"I have no idea. He has evidently been saving up money to help him out of town. Sometime we may get upon his track, and compel him to pay up."

 

"That won't do me much good," said Harry, despondently⁷. And then he told the tailor why he wanted the money. "Now," he concluded, "I shan't be able to have the money ready in time."

 

"You'll have most of it ready, won't you?"

 

"I think I will."

 

"I would lend you the money myself," said the tailor, "but I've got a heavy payment to meet and some of my customers are slow pay, though I have not many as bad as Luke Harrison."

 

"Thank you, Mr. Merrill," said Harry. "I am as much obliged to you as if you could lend the money."

 

But it is said that misfortunes never come singly. The very next day Mr. Leavitt received a message from the wholesale⁸ dealer⁹ to whom he sold his shoes, that the market was glutted¹⁰ and sales slow.

 

"I shall not want any more goods for a month or two," the letter concluded. "I will let you know, when I more."

 

Mr. Leavitt read this letter aloud in the shop.

 

"So it seems we are to have a vacation," he said. "That's the worst of the shoe trade. It isn't steady. When it's good everybody rushes into it, and the market soon gets overstocked. Then there's no work for weeks."

 

This was a catastrophe¹¹ for which Harry was no prepared. He heard the announcement with a grave face, for to him it was a serious calamity¹². Twenty-three dollars were all that he had saved from the money lost and this would be increased by a dollar or two only, when he had settled up with Mr. Leavitt. If he stayed here did not obtain work, he must pay his board, and that would soon swallow up his money. Could he get work in any other shop? That was an important question.

 

"Do you think I can get into any other shop in town?" he inquired anxiously of Mr. Leavitt.

 

"You can try, Harry; but I guess you'll find others no better off than I."

 

This was not very encouraging, but Harry determined¹³ not to give up without an effort. He devoted¹⁴ the next day to going around among the shoe shops; but everywhere he met with unfavorable answers. Some had ready suspended. Others were about to do so.

 

"It seems as if all my money must go," thought Harry, looking despondently at his little hoard¹⁵. "First the ten dollars Luke Harrison stole. Then work stopped. I don't know but it would be better for me to go home."

 

But the more Harry thought of this, the less he liked it. It would be an inglorious ending to his campaign. Probably now he would not be able to carry out his plan of paying for the cow; but if his father should lose it, he might be able, if he found work, to buy him another Squire¹⁶ Green's cow was not the only cow in the world and all would not be lost if he could not buy her.

 

"I won't give up yet," said Harry, pluckily¹⁷. "I must expect to meet with some bad luck. I suppose everybody does. Something'll turn up for me if I try to make it."

 

This was good philosophy. Waiting passively for something to turn up is bad policy and likely to lead to disappointment; but waiting actively¹⁸, ready to seize any chance that may offer, is quite different. The world is full of chances, and from such chances so seized has been based many a prosperous career.

 

During his first idle day, Harry's attention was drawn¹⁹ to a handbill which had been posted up in the store, the post office, the tavern²⁰, and other public places in the village. It was to this effect:

 

 

"PROFESSOR HENDERSON,

 

"The celebrated²¹ Magician,

 

"Will exhibit his wonderful feats²² of Magic and Sleight²³ of Hand in the Town Hall this evening, commencing at 8 o'clock. In the course of the entertainment he will amuse the audience by his wonderful exhibition of Ventriloquism, in which he is unsurpassed.

 

"Tickets 25 cents. Children under twelve, 15 cents."

 

 

In a country village, where amusements are few, such entertainments occupy a far more important place than in a city, where amusements abound²⁴.

 

"Are you going to the exhibition, Walton?" asked Frank Heath.

 

"I don't know," said Harry.

 

"Better come. It'll be worth seeing."

 

In spite of his economy, our hero wanted to go.

 

"The professor's stopping at the tavern. Come over, and we may see him," said Frank. 

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 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

3 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

5 debtor   

n.借方，债务人

参考例句：

• He crowded the debtor for payment.他催逼负债人还债。
• The court granted me a lien on my debtor's property.法庭授予我对我债务人财产的留置权。

6 transpired   

（事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生

参考例句：

• It transpired that the gang had had a contact inside the bank. 据报这伙歹徒在银行里有内应。
• It later transpired that he hadn't been telling the truth. 他当时没说真话，这在后来显露出来了。

7 despondently   

adv.沮丧地，意志消沉地

参考例句：

• It had come to that, he reflected despondently. 事情已经到了这个地步了，他沉思着，感到心灰意懒。 来自辞典例句
• He shook his head despondently. 他沮丧地摇摇头。 来自辞典例句

8 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

9 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

10 glutted   

v.吃得过多( glut的过去式和过去分词 )；（对胃口、欲望等）纵情满足；使厌腻；塞满

参考例句：

• The market was glutted with shoddy goods. 次货充斥市场。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The tour of Guilin glutted my eyes. 桂林一游使我大饱眼福。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

12 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

14 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

15 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

16 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

17 pluckily   

adv.有勇气地，大胆地

参考例句：

• He was Brentford's defensive star in pluckily holding out the determined Reading raids for long periods. 他是布伦特福德队的防守明星，长期坚持抗击雷丁队的猛攻。 来自互联网
• A crushing setback, pluckily overcome, is a good plot motif to carry the yarn forward. 如果你的公司曾遭受过一次毁灭性的打击，但你的勇气让公司度过了难关，那么这个情节也很不错，能推动故事的发展。 来自互联网

18 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

19 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。

20 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

21 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

22 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

23 sleight   

n.技巧，花招

参考例句：

• With a little statistical sleight of hand they could make things look all right.只要在统计上耍些小小的花招，他们就能瞒天过海。
• In the theater of the media there is an economic sleight of hand.传播媒介在经济上耍了一个大花招。

24 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。