Chapter 6 Mr. Pitch, the Senior Partner

 'Come in,' said a loud voice.

 

Ben opened the door and entered.

 

He found himself in a square room, almost bare of furniture. In an office chair at a table sat a dark-complexioned man of near forty. He appeared to be reading the morning paper.

 

'Is this the office of Fitch & Ferguson?' inquired Ben.

 

A glance at Ben's carpetbag indicated that he had come in answer to the advertisement, and he was received very graciously.

 

'Come in,' said the man in the chair, smiling affably. 'This is the office of Fitch & Ferguson. I am Mr. Fitch.'

 

'My name is Stanton-Ben Stanton,' said our hero. 'I wrote you from Hampton about your advertisement.'

 

'For a boy at ten dollars a week?' suggested the dark man, with a pleasant smile.

 

'Yes, sir.'

 

'We agreed to take you, did we not?' asked Mr. Fitch.

 

'Yes, sir.'

 

'Have you had any business experience?' inquired Pitch.

 

'No, sir.'

 

'I am sorry for that,' said Mr. Fitch gravely. 'Experience is important. I am not sure whether we ought to pay you ten dollars a week.'

 

Ben did not reply. He was not so much concerned about the amount of his compensation as about the reliable character of Fitch & Ferguson.

 

'Still,' mused¹ Mr. Fitch, 'you look like a boy who would learn fast. What do you think about it yourself?'

 

'I think I could,' answered Ben. 'I should try to serve you faithfully.'

 

'That is well. We want to be served faithfully,' said Mr. Fitch.

 

'What kind of a business is it?' Ben ventured to ask, surveying the empty office with a puzzled look, which Mr. Fitch observed and interpreted aright.

 

'We do a commission business,' he said. 'Of course, we keep no stock of goods here. Business is not done in the city, my young friend, as it is in the country.'

 

'No, I suppose not,' returned our hero.

 

'Without entering into details as to the character of our business,' said Mr. Fitch, 'I may say that you would be chiefly employed in making collections. It is because considerable sums of money would pass through your hands that we require a deposit in order to protect ourselves. By the way, have you the fifty dollars with you?'

 

Ben admitted that he had.

 

Mr. Fitch's face brightened up, for he had not felt quite sure of that.

 

'I am glad to hear of it,' he said. 'It shows that you mean business. You may hand it to me, and I will give you a receipt for it.'

 

'I would like to ask you one or two questions first,' said Ben, making no movement toward his pocket.

 

Mr. Fitch frowned.

 

'Really, I fail to catch your meaning,' he said, in a changed tone. 'Do you wish to enter my employ, or do you not?'

 

'I should like to earn ten dollars a week.'

 

'Precisely². Then all you have to do is to hand me the fifty dollars and go to work.'

 

'You might keep me only a week,' suggested Ben.

 

'We shall keep you if you suit us, and you can if you try. If you are discharged, we give you back your money, and pay you for the time you work for us. That is fair, isn't it?'

 

'Yes, sir.'

 

'Then we may as well settle the matter at once,' and he waited for Ben to draw forth³ his money. Our hero would, undoubtedly⁴, have done so, if he had not been cautioned by Tom Cooper. As it was, he could not help feeling suspicious.

 

'I should like to propose something to you, sir,' he said.

 

'What is it?' asked Fitch impatiently.

 

'Suppose you keep five dollars a week out of my wages for ten weeks-that'll make fifty dollars-and only pay it to me when I leave you.'

 

'Young man,' said Mr. Fitch sternly, 'this is trifling⁵, and my time is too valuable for such discussion. Have you, or have you not, brought fifty dollars with you?'

 

'I have.'

 

'Then you can secure the place-a place such as few New York boys are fortunate enough to fill. You must decide for yourself.'

 

He threw himself back in his chair and looked at Ben.

 

'He seems very anxious about the money,' thought our hero, 'and I don't see any signs of any business. I'd better back out.'

 

'There are plenty of boys who want the place,' continued Fitch, trying to look indifferent.

 

'I guess you can give it to one of them,' said Ben coolly.

 

Mr. Fitch could not conceal⁶ his disappointment. The fifty dollars had a great attraction for him. He saw that Ben was in earnest, for he was already opening the door to go out. He must make an effort to detain him.

 

'Wait a moment, my young friend. I like your appearance, and we may be disposed to take you on a little easier terms. Fifty dollars is probably a large sum to you.'

 

Ben admitted that it was.

 

'Probably your means are limited?'

 

'Yes, sir; I am a poor boy.'

 

'Just so. I will then relax our rules a little in your case. Of course, you won't mention it to our other boys, as it might create dissatisfaction.'

 

'No, sir.'

 

'We will take you on a deposit of forty dollars, then.'

 

Ben shook his head, and moved as if to depart.

 

'In fact,' said Mr. Fitch hastily, 'I believe I will say thirty dollars, Though I am afraid my partner will blame me.'

 

Ben was not versed⁷ in city ways, but now he distrusted Mr. Fitch more than ever.

 

'I would rather take a situation where no deposit is required,' he said.

 

'But you can't get any unless you agree to accept three or four dollars a week.'

 

'Can you afford to pay me ten dollars a week on account of my deposit?' asked Ben shrewdly.

 

Mr. Fitch flushed, for Ben's question was a home thrust.

 

'We don't want cheap boys,' he said pompously⁸. 'We want boys who are worth high wages, and no others.'

 

'And you think I am worth high wages?' asked Ben.

 

'I think so, but I may be mistaken.'

 

Ben was not required to answer, for the door opened hastily, and a man entered in visible excitement.

 

'What is your business, sir?' asked Mr. Fitch, rather nervously⁹.

 

'Are you Fitch or Ferguson?' demanded the intruder.

 

'I am Mr. Fitch.'

 

'Two days ago my son, James Cameron, entered your service.'

 

'Yes, sir.'

 

'Where is he now?'

 

'We have sent him to Brooklyn to collect a bill.'

 

'He paid you a deposit of fifty dollars?'

 

'Certainly. We require it as a guarantee of honesty and fidelity¹⁰.'

 

'Well, I want you to pay it back.'

 

'I don't understand you, sir,' said Mr. Fitch, looking very much disturbed. 'It will be given up when your son leaves our employment.'

 

'Well, he's going to leave it to-day,' said the other.

 

'Can you get him another place as good? Ten dollars a week are not often paid to boys.'

 

'No, sir; it's that that makes me suspicious. Give me back the fifty dollars, and James shall leave your employment.'

 

'That is entirely¹¹ irregular, sir,' said Fitch. 'Your son has been only two days in the office. At the end of the week he can leave us, and receive back his money.'

 

'That won't do,' said the angry father.

 

'It will have to do,' said Fitch. 'You are doing a very foolish thing, Mr. Cameron.'

 

'I'll risk that.'

 

'When your son returns from Brooklyn we will consider what can be done.'

 

'When will that be?'

 

'In a couple of hours.'

 

'I will come in then.'

 

Cameron went out, and Ben followed him, the discomfited¹² Fitch making no effort to detain the lad.

 

'I was thinking of engaging myself to Mr. Fitch,' said Ben to his companion. 'Do you know anything against him?'

 

'I hear that he's a swindler,' said Cameron. 'I was a fool to fall into his snare¹³. Keep your money and you'll be better off.'

 

'Thank you, sir.'

 

Fifteen minutes afterward¹⁴ Mr. Fitch left his office, and when Mr. Cameron came back, the door was locked. He found his son waiting in the entry.

 

'Did you collect any money in Brooklyn?' asked his father.

 

'No; I guess Mr. Fitch gave me the wrong number. There was no such man living at the house he sent me to.'

 

'We've been fooled!' said the father bitterly. 'Come home, James. I doubt we've seen the last of our money. If I ever set eyes on that man Pitch again I'll give him in charge for swindling.'

 

The senior partner of Pitch & Ferguson was at that moment on his way to Philadelphia with the remains¹⁵ of the fifty dollars in his pocket. But for Ben's caution he would have had another fifty dollars in his possession. 

1 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

2 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

5 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

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 versed   

adj. 精通，熟练

参考例句：

• He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
• He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。

8 pompously   

adv.傲慢地，盛大壮观地；大模大样

参考例句：

• He pompously described his achievements. 他很夸耀地描述了自己所取得的成绩。 来自互联网

9 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

10 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 discomfited   

v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败

参考例句：

• He was discomfited by the unexpected questions. 意料不到的问题使得他十分尴尬。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He will be particularly discomfited by the minister's dismissal of his plan. 部长对他计划的不理会将使他特别尴尬。 来自辞典例句

13 snare   

n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑

参考例句：

• I used to snare small birds such as sparrows.我曾常用罗网捕捉麻雀等小鸟。
• Most of the people realized that their scheme was simply a snare and a delusion.大多数人都认识到他们的诡计不过是一个骗人的圈套。

14 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。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。