Tom Temple's Career
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CHAPTER XLII TOM’S RETURN.

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 R. ARMSTRONG sat in his counting-room deep in thought. An arrangement had been made with his creditors1 by which he was allowed to go on. It was his ambition to repay them their confidence by paying all claims upon him dollar for dollar. But he found it up-hill work. His resources were contracted, and success was, to say the least, problematical. This was the reason of his present abstraction. He was anxiously considering what measures to adopt in order to facilitate the attainment2 of the end he had in view.
 
“If I only had the eighty thousand dollars’ worth of securities that scoundrelly clerk robbed me of,” he said to himself, “all would be well. I could clear off all liabilities to-day, and start afresh with the most encouraging chances of success. But I suppose there isn’t one chance in a hundred of my ever recovering a cent from that source.”
 
Just then an intimate friend, Hugh Osborn, entered.
 
“You seem in a brown study, Armstrong,” he said.
 
“Yes; I was thinking about my affairs.”
 
“Your creditors have allowed you to go on?”
 
“Yes, and I want to justify3 their confidence.”
 
“Oh, you’ll do that.”
 
“I hope so, but business is dull, and it’s hard work getting back to my old position. If I only had the money Lincoln abstracted, all would be well.”
 
“What efforts have you made to recover it?”
 
“I have informed the police, but thus far I have heard nothing.”
 
“Have you done nothing further?”
 
“Yes,” said Mr. Armstrong, hesitating. “I have sent a special messenger to California to hunt up the defaulter.”
 
“Come, that’s enterprising. Who is your special messenger?”
 
“You will laugh at me if I tell you.”
 
“Why should I?”
 
“Because my messenger is a boy of sixteen.”
 
“You are not in earnest, surely?”
 
“Yes, I am.”
 
“What could induce you to employ a

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1 creditors 6cb54c34971e9a505f7a0572f600684b     
n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 attainment Dv3zY     
n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣
参考例句：
  • We congratulated her upon her attainment to so great an age.我们祝贺她高寿。
  • The attainment of the success is not easy.成功的取得并不容易。
3 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护
参考例句：
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？
4 mere rC1xE     
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。
5 extravagant M7zya     
adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的
参考例句：
  • They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
  • He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
6 sanguine dCOzF     
adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的
参考例句：
  • He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
  • He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。
7 crafty qzWxC     
adj.狡猾的，诡诈的
参考例句：
  • He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
  • He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。
8 rogue qCfzo     
n.流氓；v.游手好闲
参考例句：
  • The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
  • They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
9 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
10 plucky RBOyw     
adj.勇敢的
参考例句：
  • The plucky schoolgirl amazed doctors by hanging on to life for nearly two months.这名勇敢的女生坚持不放弃生命近两个月的精神令医生感到震惊。
  • This story featured a plucky heroine.这个故事描述了一个勇敢的女英雄。
11 positively vPTxw     
adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实
参考例句：
  • She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
  • The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
12 elastic Tjbzq     
n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的
参考例句：
  • Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
  • These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。
13 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇，惊讶
参考例句：
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
14 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇，惊异
参考例句：
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
15 absurdity dIQyU     
n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论
参考例句：
  • The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
  • The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

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