Chapter 18 How Ida Fared

 We left Ida confined in a dark closet, with Peg¹ standing² guard over her.

 

After an hour she was released.

 

"Well," said the nurse, grimly, "how do you feel now?"

 

"I want to go home," sobbed³ the child.

 

"You are at home," said the woman.

 

"Shall I never see father, and mother, and Jack⁴ again?"

 

"That depends on how you behave yourself."

 

"Oh, if you will only let me go," pleaded Ida, gathering⁵ hope from this remark, "I'll do anything you say."

 

"Do you mean this, or do you only say it for the sake of getting away?"

 

"I mean just what I say. Dear, good Mrs. Hardwick, tell me what to do, and I will obey you cheerfully."

 

"Very well," said Peg, "only you needn't try to come it over me by calling me dear, good Mrs. Hardwick. In the first place, you don't care a cent about me; in the second place, I am not good; and finally, my name isn't Mrs. Hardwick, except in New York."

 

"What is it, then?" asked Ida.

 

"It's just Peg, no more and no less. You may call me Aunt Peg."

 

"I would rather call you Mrs. Hardwick."

 

"Then you'll have a good many years to call me so. You'd better do as I tell you, if you want any favors. Now what do you say?"

 

"Yes, Aunt Peg," said Ida, with a strong effort to conceal⁶ her repugnance⁷.

 

"That's well. Now you're not to tell anybody that you came from New York. That is very important; and you're to pay your board by doing whatever I tell you."

 

"If it isn't wicked."

 

"Do you suppose I would ask you to do anything wicked?" demanded Peg, frowning.

 

"You said you wasn't good," mildly suggested Ida.

 

"I'm good enough to take care of you. Well, what do you say to that? Answer me?"

 

"Yes."

 

"There's another thing. You ain't to try to run away."

 

Ida hung down her head.

 

"Ha!" exclaimed Peg. "So you've been thinking of it, have you?"

 

"Yes," answered Ida, boldly, after a moment's hesitation⁸. "I did think I should if I got a good chance."

 

"Humph!" said the woman, "I see we must understand one another. Unless you promise this, back you go into the dark closet, and I shall keep you there."

 

Ida shuddered¹⁰ at this fearful threat--terrible to a child of but eight years.

 

"Do you promise?"

 

"Yes," said Ida, faintly.

 

"For fear you might be tempted¹¹ to break your promise, I have something to show you."

 

Mrs. Hardwick went to the closet, and took down a large pistol.

 

"There," she said, "do you see that?"

 

"Yes, Aunt Peg."

 

"Do you know what it is for?"

 

"To shoot people with," answered the child.

 

"Yes," said the nurse; "I see you understand. Well, now, do you know what I would do if you should tell anybody where you came from, or attempt to run away? Can you guess, now?"

 

"Would you shoot me?" asked Ida, terror-stricken.

 

"Yes, I would," said Peg, with fierce emphasis. "That's just what I'd do. And what's more even if you got away, and got back to your family in New York, I would follow you, and shoot you dead in the street."

 

"You wouldn't be so wicked!" exclaimed Ida.

 

"Wouldn't I, though?" repeated Peg, significantly. "If you don't believe I would, just try it. Do you think you would like to try it?" she asked, fiercely.

 

"No," answered Ida, with a shudder⁹.

 

"Well, that's the most sensible thing you've said yet. Now that you are a little more reasonable, I'll tell you what I am going to do with you."

 

Ida looked eagerly up into her face.

 

"I am going to keep you with me for a year. I want the services of a little girl for that time. If you serve me faithfully, I will then send you back to New York."

 

"Will you?" asked Ida, hopefully.

 

"Yes, but you must mind and do what I tell you."

 

"Oh, yes," said Ida, joyfully¹².

 

This was so much better than she had been led to fear, that the prospect¹³ of returning home at all, even though she had to wait a year, encouraged her.

 

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

 

"You may take the broom and sweep the room."

 

"Yes, Aunt Peg."

 

"And then you may wash the dishes."

 

"Yes, Aunt Peg."

 

"And after that, I will find something else for you to do."

 

Mrs. Hardwick threw herself into a rocking-chair, and watched with grim satisfaction the little handmaiden, as she moved quickly about.

 

"I took the right course with her," she said to herself. "She won't any more dare to run away than to chop her hands off. She thinks I'll shoot her."

 

And the unprincipled woman chuckled¹⁴ to herself.

 

Ida heard her indistinctly, and asked, timidly:

 

"Did you speak, Aunt Peg?"

 

"No, I didn't; just attend to your work and don't mind me. Did your mother make you work?"

 

"No; I went to school."

 

"Time you learned. I'll make a smart woman of you."

 

The next morning Ida was asked if she would like to go out into the street.

 

"I am going to let you do a little shopping. There are various things we want. Go and get your hat."

 

"It's in the closet," said Ida.

 

"Oh, yes, I put it there. That was before I could trust you."

 

She went to the closet and returned with the child's hat and shawl. As soon as the two were ready they emerged into the street.

 

"This is a little better than being shut up in the closet, isn't it?" asked her companion.

 

"Oh, yes, ever so much."

 

"You see you'll have a very good time of it, if you do as I bid you. I don't want to do you any harm."

 

So they walked along together until Peg, suddenly pausing, laid her hands on Ida's arm, and pointing to a shop near by, said to her: "Do you see that shop?"

 

"Yes," said Ida.

 

"I want you to go in and ask for a couple of rolls. They come to three cents apiece. Here's some money to pay for them. It is a new dollar. You will give this to the man that stands behind the counter, and he will give you back ninety-four cents. Do you understand?"

 

"Yes," said Ida, nodding her head. "I think I do."

 

"And if the man asks if you have anything smaller, you will say no."

 

"Yes, Aunt Peg."

 

"I will stay just outside. I want you to go in alone, so you will learn to manage without me."

 

Ida entered the shop. The baker¹⁵, a pleasant-looking man, stood behind the counter.

 

"Well, my dear, what is it?" he asked.

 

"I should like a couple of rolls."

 

"For your mother, I suppose?" said the baker.

 

"No," answered Ida, "for the woman I board with."

 

"Ha! a dollar bill, and a new one, too," said the baker, as Ida tendered it in payment. "I shall have to save that for my little girl."

 

Ida left the shop with the two rolls and the silver change.

 

"Did he say anything about the money?" asked Peg.

 

"He said he should save it for his little girl."

 

"Good!" said the woman. "You've done well."

1 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

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 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

7 repugnance   

n.嫌恶

参考例句：

• He fought down a feelings of repugnance.他抑制住了厌恶感。
• She had a repugnance to the person with whom she spoke.她看不惯这个和她谈话的人。

8 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。

9 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。

10 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

12 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。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

14 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

15 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。