Chapter 26 Dr. Robinson

 Time passed. Every hour seemed to poor Jack¹ to contain at least double the number of minutes. Moreover, he was getting hungry.

 

A horrible suspicion flashed across his mind.

 

"The wretches² can't mean to starve me, can they?" he asked himself. Despite his constitutional courage he could not help shuddering³ at the idea.

 

He was unexpectedly answered by the opening of the door, and the appearance of the old man.

 

"Are you getting hungry, my dear sir?" he inquired, with a disagreeable smile upon his features.

 

"Why am I confined here?" demanded Jack, angrily.

 

"Why are you confined? Really, one would think you didn't find your quarters comfortable."

 

"I am so far from finding them agreeable, that I insist upon leaving them immediately," returned Jack.

 

"Then all you have got to do is to walk through that door."

 

"You have locked it."

 

"Why, so I have," said the old man, with a leer.

 

"I insist upon your opening it."

 

"I shall do so when I get ready to go out, myself."

 

"I shall go with you."

 

"I think not."

 

"Who's to prevent me?" said Jack, defiantly⁴.

 

"Who's to prevent you?"

 

"Yes; you'd better not attempt it. I should be sorry to hurt you, but I mean to go out. If you attempt to stop me, you must take the consequences."

 

"I am afraid you are a violent young man. But I've got a man who is a match for two like you."

 

The old man opened the door.

 

"Samuel, show yourself," he said.

 

A brawny⁵ negro, six feet in height, and evidently very powerful, came to the entrance.

 

"If this young man attempts to escape, Samuel, what will you do?"

 

"Tie him hand and foot," answered the negro.

 

"That'll do, Samuel. Stay where you are."

 

He closed the door and looked triumphantly⁶ at our hero.

 

Jack threw himself sullenly⁷ into a chair.

 

"Where is the woman that brought me here?" he asked.

 

"Peg⁸? Oh, she couldn't stay. She had important business to transact⁹, my young friend, and so she has gone. She commended you to our particular attention, and you will be just as well treated as if she were here."

 

This assurance was not calculated to comfort Jack.

 

"How long are you going to keep me cooped up here?" he asked, desperately¹⁰, wishing to learn the worst at once.

 

"Really, my young friend, I couldn't say. I don't know how long it will be before you are cured."

 

"Cured?" repeated Jack, puzzled.

 

The old man tapped his forehead.

 

"You're a little affected¹¹ here, you know, but under my treatment I hope soon to restore you to your friends."

 

"What!" ejaculated our hero, terror-stricken, "you don't mean to say you think I'm crazy?"

 

"To be sure you are," said the old man, "but--"

 

"But I tell you it's a lie," exclaimed Jack, energetically. "Who told you so?"

 

"Your aunt."

 

"My aunt?"

 

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwick. She brought you here to be treated for insanity¹²."

 

"It's a base lie," said Jack, hotly. "That woman is no more my aunt than you are. She's an impostor. She carried off my sister Ida, and this is only a plot to get rid of me. She told me she was going to take me to see Ida."

 

The old man shrugged¹³ his shoulders.

 

"My young friend," he said, "she told me all about it--that you had a delusion¹⁴ about some supposed sister, whom you accused her of carrying off."

 

"This is outrageous," said Jack, hotly.

 

"That's what all my patients say."

 

"And you are a mad-doctor?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then you know by my looks that I am not crazy."

 

"Pardon me, my young friend; that doesn't follow. There is a peculiar¹⁵ appearance about your eyes which I cannot mistake. There's no mistake about it, my good sir. Your mind has gone astray, but if you'll be quiet, and won't excite yourself, you'll soon be well."

 

"How soon?"

 

"Well, two or three months."

 

"Two or three months! You don't mean to say you want to confine me here two or three months?"

 

"I hope I can release you sooner."

 

"You can't understand your business very well, or you would see at once that I am not insane."

 

"That's what all my patients say. They won't any of them own that their minds are affected."

 

"Will you supply me with some writing materials?"

 

"Yes; Samuel shall bring them here."

 

"I suppose you will excuse my suggesting also that it is dinner time?"

 

"He shall bring you some dinner at the same time."

 

The old man retired¹⁶, but in fifteen minutes a plate of meat and vegetables was brought to the room.

 

"I'll bring the pen and ink afterward," said the negro.

 

In spite of his extraordinary situation and uncertain prospects¹⁷, Jack ate with his usual appetite.

 

Then he penned a letter to his uncle, briefly¹⁸ detailing the circumstances of his present situation.

 

"I am afraid," the letter concluded, "that while I am shut up here, Mrs. Hardwick will carry Ida out of the city, where it will be more difficult for us to get on her track. She is evidently a dangerous woman."

 

Two days passed and no notice was taken of the letter.

1 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。

2 wretches   

n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋

参考例句：

• The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来，最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句

3 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

4 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 brawny   

adj.强壮的

参考例句：

• The blacksmith has a brawny arm.铁匠有强壮的胳膊。
• That same afternoon the marshal appeared with two brawny assistants.当天下午，警长带着两名身强力壮的助手来了。

6 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。

7 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

8 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。

9 transact   

v.处理；做交易；谈判

参考例句：

• I will transact my business by letter.我会写信去洽谈业务。
• I have been obliged to see him；there was business to transact.我不得不见他，有些事物要处理。

10 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

11 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。

12 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

13 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

15 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

17 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

18 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。