“Isn’t he perfectly1 charming, Leola? As handsome as a picture, and the prettiest manners I ever saw—so courteous2, so kind, altogether different from some of the country bumpkins about here, who don’t seem to appreciate ladies as they ought. But really, for the life of me, I cannot tell which one of us he is courting, for he is so nice to us both. Sometimes I think it’s you, and then, again, I may be the object of his affection. I cannot deny there may be a little disparity in our years, but I do not believe he would mind that, do you, dear?”
This was two weeks later than the picnic, from which it may be inferred that Ray Chester’s courtship was progressing finely, without let or hindrance3 from Wizard Hermann.
Fortune had favored our daring hero, for Leola’s guardian4 had been absent from home nearly two weeks, and on returning he had resumed his laboratory work with such zeal5 that he remained quite in ignorance of the fact that a handsome young man, a stranger from the city, was a daily and welcome caller on the ladies of his family.
His first news of the fact came from[Pg 11] Mr. Bennett, his rich and rotund neighbor, who, perhaps growing jealous over Miss Tuttle, desired to know if Mr. Hermann had any knowledge of the stranger’s intentions.
“In a word, sir, is the fellow sparking Miss Tuttle or Leola?” he said, brusquely.
Mr. Hermann, startled, denied any knowledge of the young man.
“I’ve been up to New York for some precious chemicals I required, and I was nearly ten days absent. Since I returned I’ve been almost too busy to take time to eat or sleep, and I have not seen or heard of any young man,” he declared.
“The fellow’s from the city, somewhere away off, good-looking and dandyfied, an artist, he claims to be. He’s boarding down to Widow Gray’s, and showed himself first at a picnic, where he came with her and got introduced to the whole country-side. I’m not saying he isn’t as pleasant a young chap as I ever met, but I don’t like it, seeing him in and out at Wheatlands all the time without knowing for sure who he’s after, Hermann,” he concluded, uneasily.
“I’ll look into the matter this very day and find out what’s in the wind,” was the reassuring7 reply.
Bennett’s little ferret eyes looked sharply at him, and he muttered:
“I won’t have any fooling over this here bargain. The mortgage falls due pretty soon now, and if you fail to keep your word, I’ll foreclose at once, I swear.”
“Have you done anything to help along your own cause, eh?”
“I’ve called several times and fetched the geerls presents of fruit and candy, and took ’em riding in my fine new turnout, but that dad-blame dandy was always along, and I couldn’t hardly get in a word edgeways to the geerl, and Miss Tuttle, she done all the talking to me, so’s I hadn’t any show at all with Leola,” Bennett muttered, morosely9.
“Let’s see; suppose you write a letter and propose formally for her hand. Tell her how rich you are, and that you’ll give her anything her heart craves10. If she refuses, then I shall have to use my influence,” Wizard Hermann said, consolingly, wishing he were well out of all this bother and back in his laboratory at work with his beloved chemicals.
His house and lands were all mortgaged to his rich neighbor, and he had not a dollar to pay him to prevent foreclosure. It seemed like a providence11 when the rich widower12 cast his covetous13 eyes on lovely Leola, and offered, if Hermann could get her to marry him, to release the debt.
It was fifteen thousand dollars, but Wheatlands, with its wide-spreading acres, was worth twice as much, and it was terrible to thus sacrifice the home of his forefathers14; so Hermann, who had burned up all that money in his foolish and mysterious experiments, decided15 that Leola must be sacrificed to pay the debt, since there was no other way.
But how to obtain her consent he did not know, and, since the morning when she had so angrily repulsed16 him, the subject had tacitly dropped between them, Hermann realizing that his end could only be gained by force and cunning.
Bennett’s story about a possible rival put a new element of trouble into the affair, so he set himself to investigate matters by calling the governess to account.
When he summoned her to the library she thought he only wanted to go over some housekeeping accounts with her, or possibly to pay some arrears17 of her salary long overdue18.
Visions of a new gown and bonnet19 floated joyfully20 before her mind’s eye, but she was soon undeceived.
“Who and what of this young dandy who is making so free of my house these two weeks?” he demanded.
“Oh, Mr. Hermann, the most charming young man—he’s a boarder at Widow Gray’s, and is most attentive,” she simpered.
“So I have heard, but who is he after—Leola?” he demanded.
“Oh, sir, no, indeed—that is, I cannot really be sure of his intentions toward either; he’s so very charming to both of us we cannot decide between us which he prefers yet—but he does not seem like a flirt22!”
“Amanda Tuttle, don’t be an old fool! How do you suppose any young man could hesitate between an old woman like you and pretty Leola?” he replied, brusquely.
“Sir!” Miss Tuttle bridled, and tears came into her eyes.
“Well, well, I spoke23 roughly, but you should not be so silly,” returned her employer. “Remember you were not very pretty when you first came here, and fifteen years has changed you into a faded old maid.”
“Hard words break no bones,” he said, carelessly.
“If you will pay me my salary I’ll leave Wheatlands forever!” she sobbed, bitterly, in her humiliation25; but he went on, coolly:
[Pg 12]
“No, I don’t want you to leave; I really need your services, Miss Tuttle. But as to whether you ever get that money I owe you depends on your own exertions26. I’ve lost everything, and unless Leola makes a rich marriage I’ve planned for her, I will not have a roof over my head this day month.”
Miss Tuttle mopped her wet eyes with a little lace-edged handkerchief, and straightened up, full of breathless curiosity.
“Oh, who is he?” she exclaimed; and thereupon he suddenly confided27 his difficulties freely to her, hopeful of her ready co-operation, but, being totally unversed in the intricacies of a woman’s heart, he made the mistake of his life.
On learning that the rotund widower, Bennett, whom she secretly loved, was a suitor for Leola’s hand, the spinster promptly28 went into hysterics that she could not have helped to save her life.
“Oh, the fat villain30, the vile31 deceiver! After all his attentions to me since his poor wife died, to turn around and fall in love with a chit of a girl like Leola! Oh, I could tear him limb from limb, the wretch32! And as to marrying him, she shall not—never, never!”
“Oh, really, really!” soothed her employer, but all to no purpose, for, her heart being touched, she could not restrain her excitable feelings, but raved33 on angrily and tearfully for some time, until her emotion spent itself, the old man having bided34 his time to this end.
He now observed, sarcastically35:
“If you have done making a fool of yourself now, Amanda Tuttle, perhaps you will tell me what you are going to do about it. You cannot marry Bennett if he will not have you.”
“No,” she moaned, tearfully; and he continued, coolly:
Miss Tuttle fairly tore her hair in her humiliation.
“Will you, now?” he repeated.
“No,” she sobbed, suddenly realizing that she really had no grounds to base a legal action upon. She had built her hopes on a baseless fabric37 of neighborly politeness, nothing more, and her house of cards had tumbled to the ground.
The revulsion from long hope to sudden despair was so bitter that it awakened38 an intense and jealous hatred39 for Leola, superseding40 the devotion of years.
Hermann realized that he had made a mistake in taking her into his confidence, and made a masterly retreat, exclaiming:
“Oh, well, well, don’t take it so hard, Amanda Tuttle; you’re too old to behave like a love-sick chit! It isn’t likely that Leola will want to marry him, anyhow, and if she refuses, of course I must let old Bennett take the house and everything, and we can all go to the almshouse together!”
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收听单词发音
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1
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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2
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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3
hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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7
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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8
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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9
morosely
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| adv.愁眉苦脸地，忧郁地 | |
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10
craves
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| 渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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11
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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12
widower
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| n.鳏夫 | |
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covetous
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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14
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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15
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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16
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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17
arrears
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| n.到期未付之债，拖欠的款项；待做的工作 | |
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18
overdue
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| adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的 | |
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19
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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21
bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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22
flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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23
spoke
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| 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 | |
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24
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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25
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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26
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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27
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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33
raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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34
bided
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| v.等待，停留( bide的过去式 )；居住；等待；面临 | |
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35
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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37
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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38
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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39
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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40
superseding
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| 取代，接替( supersede的现在分词 ) | |
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