Chapter 32 A Providential Meeting

 "By gracious, if that isn't Ida!" exclaimed Jack¹, in profound surprise.

 

He had been sauntering along Chestnut² Street, listlessly troubled by the thought that though he had given Mrs. Hardwick into custody³, he was apparently⁴ no nearer the discovery of his young ward⁵ than before. What steps should he take to find her? He could not decide. In his perplexity his eyes rested suddenly upon the print of the "Flower Girl."

 

"Yes," he said, "that is Ida, fast enough. Perhaps they will know in the store where she is to be found."

 

He at once entered the store.

 

"Can you tell me anything about the girl in that picture?" he asked, abruptly⁶, of the nearest clerk.

 

"It is a fancy picture," he said. "I think you would need a long time to find the original."

 

"It has taken a long time," said Jack. "But you are mistaken. That is a picture of my sister."

 

"Of your sister!" repeated the salesman, with surprise, half incredulous.

 

"Yes," persisted Jack. "She is my sister."

 

"If it is your sister," said the clerk, "you ought to know where she is."

 

Jack was about to reply, when the attention of both was called by a surprised exclamation⁷ from a lady who had paused beside them. Her eyes also were fixed⁸ upon the "Flower Girl."

 

"Who is this?" she asked, in visible excitement. "Is it taken from life?"

 

"This young man says it is his sister," said the clerk.

 

"Your sister?" repeated the lady, her eyes fixed inquiringly upon Jack.

 

In her tone there was a mingling⁹ both of surprise and disappointment.

 

"Yes, madam," answered Jack, respectfully.

 

"Pardon me," she said, "there is very little personal resemblance. I should not have suspected that you were her brother."

 

"She is not my own sister," explained Jack, "but I love her just the same."

 

"Do you live in Philadelphia? Could I see her?" asked the lady, eagerly.

 

"I live in New York, madam," said Jack; "but Ida was stolen from us about three weeks since, and I have come here in pursuit of her. I have not been able to find her yet."

 

"Did you call her Ida?" demanded the lady, in strange agitation¹⁰.

 

"Yes, madam."

 

"My young friend," said the woman, rapidly, "I have been much interested in the story of your sister. I should like to hear more, but not here. Would you have any objection to coming home with me, and telling me the rest? Then we will together concert measures for recovering her."

 

"You are very kind, madam," said Jack, bashfully; for the lady was elegantly dressed, and it had never been his fortune to converse¹¹ with a lady of her social position. "I shall be glad to go home with you, and shall be very much obliged for your advice and assistance."

 

"Then we will drive home at once."

 

With natural gallantry, Jack assisted the lady into the carriage, and, at her bidding, got in himself.

 

"Home, Thomas!" she directed the driver; "and drive as fast as possible."

 

"Yes, madam."

 

"How old was your sister when your parents adopted her?" asked Mrs. Clifton.

 

Jack afterward¹² ascertained¹³ that this was her name.

 

"About a year old, madam."

 

"And how long since was that?" asked the lady, waiting for the answer with breathless interest.

 

"Seven years since. She is now eight."

 

"It must be," murmured the lady, in low tones. "If it is indeed, as I hope, my life will indeed be blessed."

 

"Did you speak, madam?"

 

"Tell me under what circumstances your family adopted her."

 

Jack related briefly¹⁴ how Ida had been left at their door in her infancy¹⁵.

 

"And do you recollect¹⁶ the month in which this happened?"

 

"It was at the close of December, the night before New Year's."

 

"It is, it must be she!" ejaculated Mrs. Clifton, clasping her hands, while tears of joy welled from her eyes.

 

"I--I don't understand," said Jack, naturally astonished.

 

"My young friend," said the lady, "our meeting this morning seems providential. I have every reason to believe that this child--your adopted sister--is my daughter, stolen from me by an unknown enemy at the time of which I speak. From that day to this I have never been able to obtain the slightest clew that might lead to her discovery. I have long taught myself to think of her as dead."

 

It was Jack's turn to be surprised. He looked at the lady beside him. She was barely thirty. The beauty of her girlhood had ripened¹⁷ into the maturer beauty of womanhood. There was the same dazzling complexion¹⁸, the same soft flush upon the cheeks. The eyes, too, were wonderfully like Ida's. Jack looked, and as he looked he became convinced.

 

"You must be right," he said. "Ida is very much like you."

 

"You think so?" said Mrs. Clifton, eagerly.

 

"Yes, madam."

 

"I had a picture--a daguerreotype¹⁹--taken of Ida just before I lost her; I have treasured it carefully. I must show it to you when we get to my house."

 

The carriage stopped before a stately mansion²⁰ in a wide and quiet street. The driver dismounted and opened the door. Jack assisted Mrs. Clifton to alight.

 

Bashfully our hero followed the lady up the steps, and, at her bidding, seated himself in an elegant parlor²¹ furnished with a splendor²² which excited his admiration²³ and wonder. He had little time to look about him, for Mrs. Clifton, without pausing to remove her street attire²⁴, hastened downstairs with an open daguerreotype in her hand.

 

"Can you remember Ida when she was first brought to your house?" she asked. "Did she look anything like this picture?"

 

"It is her image," answered Jack, decidedly. "I should know it anywhere."

 

"Then there can be no further doubt," said Mrs. Clifton. "It is my child you have cared for so long. Oh! why could I not have known it before? How many lonely days and sleepless²⁵ nights it would have spared me! But God be thanked for this late blessing²⁶! I shall see my child again."

 

"I hope so, madam. We must find her."

 

"What is your name, my young friend?"

 

"My name is Harding--Jack Harding."

 

"Jack?" repeated the lady, smiling.

 

"Yes, madam; that is what they call me. It would not seem natural to be called John."

 

"Very well," said Mrs. Clifton, with a smile which went to Jack's heart at once, and made him think her, if any more beautiful than Ida; "as Ida is your adopted sister--"

 

"I call her my ward. I am her guardian²⁷, you know."

 

"You are a young guardian. But, as I was about to say, that makes us connected in some way, doesn't it? I won't call you Mr. Harding, for that would sound too formal. I will call you Jack."

 

"I wish you would," said our hero, his face brightening with pride.

 

It almost upset him to be called Jack by a beautiful lady, who every day of her life was accustomed to live in a splendor which it seemed to Jack could not be exceeded even by royal state. Had Mrs. Clifton been Queen Victoria herself, he could not have felt a profounder respect and veneration²⁸ for her than he did already.

 

"Now, Jack," said Mrs. Clifton, in a friendly manner which delighted our hero, "we must take measures to discover Ida immediately. I want you to tell me about her disappearance²⁹ from your house, and what steps you have taken thus far toward finding her."

 

Jack began at the beginning and described the appearance of Mrs. Hardwick; how she had been permitted to carry Ida away under false representations, and the manner in which he had tracked her to Philadelphia. He spoke³⁰ finally of her arrest, and her obstinate³¹ refusal to impart any information as to where Ida was concealed³².

 

Mrs. Clifton listened attentively³³ and anxiously. There were more difficulties in the way than she had supposed.

 

"Can you think of any plan, Jack?" she asked, anxiously.

 

"Yes, madam," answered Jack. "The man who painted the picture of Ida may know where she is to be found."

 

"You are right," said the lady. "I will act upon your hint. I will order the carriage again instantly, and we will at once go back to the print store."

 

An hour later Henry Bowen was surprised by the visit of an elegant lady to his studio, accompanied by a young man of seventeen.

 

"I think you are the artist who designed 'The Flower Girl,'" said Mrs. Clifton.

 

"I am, madam."

 

"It was taken from life?"

 

"You are right."

 

"I am anxious to find the little girl whose face you copied. Can you give me any directions that will enable me to find her?"

 

"I will accompany you to the place where she lives, if you desire it, madam," said the young artist, politely. "It is a strange neighborhood in which to look for so much beauty."

 

"I shall be deeply indebted to you if you will oblige me so far," said Mrs. Clifton. "My carriage is below, and my coachman will obey your orders."

 

Once more they were on the move. In due time the carriage paused. The driver opened the door. He was evidently quite scandalized at the idea of bringing his mistress to such a place.

 

"This can't be the place, madam," he said.

 

"Yes," said the artist. "Do not get out, Mrs. Clifton. I will go in, and find out all that is needful."

 

Two minutes later he returned, looking disappointed.

 

"We are too late," he said. "An hour since a gentleman called, and took away the child."

 

Mrs. Clifton sank back in her seat in keen disappointment.

 

"My child! my child!" she murmured. "Shall I ever see thee again?"

 

Jack, too, felt more disappointed than he was willing to acknowledge. He could not conjecture³⁴ what gentleman could have carried away Ida. The affair seemed darker and mere³⁵ complicated than ever.

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 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

7 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

8 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

9 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

10 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。

11 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

12 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

13 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

16 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

17 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

19 daguerreotype   

n.银板照相

参考例句：

• The inventor of the daguerreotype is a French artist.银版照相的发明者是位法国艺术家。
• The image was taken by louis daguerre who invented the daguerreotype-one of the earliest methods of photography.这张照片是由路易斯达盖尔拍摄，他发明了银版照相法-摄影的最早方法之一。

20 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

21 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

22 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

23 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

24 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

25 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

26 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

27 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

28 veneration   

n.尊敬，崇拜

参考例句：

• I acquired lasting respect for tradition and veneration for the past.我开始对传统和历史产生了持久的敬慕。
• My father venerated General Eisenhower.我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。

29 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

30 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。

31 obstinate   

adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的

参考例句：

• She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
• The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

32 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

33 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

35 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。