Chapter 2

 The first time that Boylan of the Rhodes News Agency of New York saw Peter Mowbray was in the office of Lonegan of The States, Mowbray's chief in Warsaw. Lonegan had known Peter in New York and had wanted him for his second many months before the fact was brought about. This was the Boylan of the Schmedding Polar Failure, of various wars and expeditions, a huge spectacle of a man, an old-timer, and very fond of Lonegan, though as representative of Rhodes'' he was structurally¹ the competitor of The States in this territory.

 

“Young Mowbray may be all right,” Boylan observed, “but the curse of the student is on him. I should say that he isn't gusty² enough for hard work—vest buttons too safe—”

 

“You can't measure health by the pound,” Lonegan observed, regarding the other's bulk with one eye shut.

 

“I never heard of Mowbray spending much time in bed outside of the small hours.”

 

“How old is he?”

 

“Twenty-six or seven.”

 

“I suppose he put on his gear all in a year or two?”

 

“There is that look about him, but he's safely over it. Some people never stop, but I've had to look up at him from the same angle now and then during the last five years.... It was just a little before that he happened into—his route like mine—his cub-year in London, then assistant in Antwerp, then in Dresden. He had Dresden alone for a year. I've been angling for him some time——”

 

“Yes,” Boylan remarked, “you need the right kind of help to stand up with Rhodes from this end——”

 

“You do make it wildly exciting,” Lonegan answered gently. “We'll rock Peter yet.”

 

This chat took place in June. Ten weeks afterward³ Boylan came in with the big news, and found Lonegan bending over the following cablegram, almost the last that came through in the private cipher⁴ of The States:

 

Get Mowbray post with Russians. We are mailing influential⁵ matters. Warsaw key-desk for northern campaigns. We are to be congratulated on having Lonegan there.

 

It was from the Old Man, who in certain cases ventured thus to be expensively felicitous⁶....

 

“I'm sorry, Lonegan,” Boylan said. “I thought you would be taking the field—-”

 

“No, the Old Man's got the right eye for these affairs. I'm a desk man.”

 

What Lonegan had swallowed to make his voice clear and steady, only he knew, but his nerve was effective. “You've got to help me, Boylan,” he said. “You know the military end. You've got to help me get him attached. I know you'd do it for me, but I want you to do it for him—”

 

A grunt⁷ from the big man, who disappeared.

 

...Lonegan's lip curled. Again it was only Lonegan who knew why. He read the cablegram carefully again, and felt his face as if speculating whether he could wait until morning for a shave. There was routine to do, and the developments of the day to file. Peter was on a mail story.... It occurred to him presently that his second would be interested in this eventuality from the Office. He called several places by 'phone without locating the younger man.

 

“He's with the woman,” Lonegan concluded.

 

Peter had left her address somewhere, but it was not at hand; neither was her house available to telephone. Lonegan took down the Warsaw directory, and came finally to the street-number after this line:

 

“Bertha Solwicz, sempstress.”

 

1 structurally   

在结构上

参考例句：

• The house roof was (structurally) unsound. 这屋顶（结构）不牢固。
• Pinhole on shot-hole damage is never structurally significant. 针孔和蛀洞所造成的危害对结构的影响不大。

2 gusty   

adj.起大风的

参考例句：

• Weather forecasts predict more hot weather,gusty winds and lightning strikes.天气预报预测高温、大风和雷电天气将继续。
• Why was Candlestick Park so windy and gusty? 埃德尔斯蒂克公园里为什么会有那么多的强劲阵风？

3 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。

4 cipher   

n.零；无影响力的人；密码

参考例句：

• All important plans were sent to the police in cipher.所有重要计划均以密码送往警方。
• He's a mere cipher in the company.他在公司里是个无足轻重的小人物。

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 felicitous   

adj.恰当的，巧妙的；n.恰当，贴切

参考例句：

• She played him--sometimes delicately,sometimes with a less felicitous touch.她吊着他--有时温柔地，有时手法就不那么巧妙。
• You need to handle the delicate matter in a most felicitous manner.你需要用得体的方式处理这件微妙的事。

7 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。