章节正文
``Yes, sir.''
``I am his nephew, just arrived from Europe. Let
him know that I am here, and would like to see
him.''
The servant, who had never before seen him,
having only been six months in the house, regarded him
with a great deal of curiosity, and then went to do
his biddng.
``My nephew arrived!'' exclaimed Mr. Wharton, in
surprise. ``Why, he never let me know he was coming.''
``Will you see him, sir?''
``To be sure! Bring him in at once.''
``My dear uncle!'' exclaimed John Wade, with
effusion, for he was a polite man, and could act when it
suited his interests to do so, ``I am glad to see you.
How is your health?''
``I am getting older every day, John.''
``You don't look a day older, sir,'' said John, who
did not believe what he said, for he could plainly
see that his uncle had grown older since he last saw
him.
``You think so, John, but I feel it. Your coming
is a surprise. You did not write that you intended
sailing.''
``I formed the determination very suddenly, sir.''
``Were you tired of Europe?''
``No; but I wanted to see you, sir.''
``Thank you, John,'' said his uncle, pressing his
nephew's hand. ``I am glad you think so much of
me. Did you have a pleasant voyage?''
``Rather rough, sir.''
``You have had no supper, of course? If you will
ring the bell, the housekeeper will see that some is
got ready for you.''
``Is Mrs. Bradley still in your employ, uncle?''
``Yes, John. I am so used to her that I shouldn't
know how to get along without her.''
Hitherto John Wade had been so occupied with his
uncle that he had not observed Frank. But at this
moment our hero coughed, involuntarily, and John
Wade looked at him. He seemed to be singularly
affected. He started perceptibly, and his sallow face
blanched, as his eager eyes were fixed on the boy's
face.
``Good heavens!'' he muttered to himself. ``Who is
that boy? How comes he here?''
Frank noticed his intent gaze, and wondered at it,
but Mr. Wharton's eyesight was defective, and he
did not perceive his nephew's excitement.
``I see you have a young visitor, uncle,'' said John
Wade.
``Oh, yes,'' said Mr. Wharton, with a kindly smile.
``He spends all his evenings with me.''
``What do you mean, sir?'' demanded John Wade,
with sudden suspicion and fear. ``He seems very
young company for----''
``For a man of my years,'' said Mr. Wharton,
finishing the sentence. ``You are right, John. But, you
see, my eyes are weak, and I cannot use them for
reading in the evening, so it occurred to me to engage
a reader.''
``Very true,'' said his nephew. He wished to
inquire the name of the boy whose appearance had so
powerfully impressed him but he determined not to
do so at present. What information he sought he
preferred to obtain from the housekeeper.
``He seemed surprised, as if he had seen me some
where before, and recognized me,'' thought Frank,
``but I don't remember him. If I had seen his face
before, I think I should remember it.''
``Don't come out, uncle.'' said John Wade, when
summoned to tea by the housekeeper. ``Mrs. Bradley
and I are going to have a chat by ourselves, and
I will soon return.''
``You are looking thin, Mr. John,'' said Mrs Bradley.
``Am I thinner than usual? I never was very
corpulent, you know. How is my uncle's health? He
says he is well.''
``He is pretty well, but he isn't as young as he
was.''
``I think he looks older,'' said John. ``But that is
not surprising--at his age. He is seventy, isn't he?''
``Not quite. He is sixty-nine.''
``His father died at seventy-one.''
``Yes.''
``But that is no reason why my uncle should not
live till eighty. I hope he will.''
``We all hope so,'' said the housekeeper; but she
knew, while she spoke, that if, as she supposed, Mr.
Wharton's will contained a generouslegacy for her,
his death would not afflict her much. She suspected
also that John Wade was waitingimpatiently for
his uncle's death, that he might enter upon his
inheritance. Still, their little social fictions must be
kept up, and so both expressed a desire for his continued
life, though neither was deceived as to the
other's real feeling on the subject.
``By the way, Mrs. Bradley,'' said John Wade,
``how came my uncle to engage that boy to read to
him?''
``He was led into it, sir,'' said the housekeeper,
with a great deal of indignation, ``by the boy himself.
He's an artful and designing fellow, you may
rely upon it.''
``What's his name?''
``Frank Fowler.''
``Fowler! Is his name Fowler?'' he repeated, with
a startled expression.
``Yes, sir,'' answered the housekeeper, rather
surprised at his manner. ``You don't know anything
about him, do you?''
``Oh, no,'' said John Wade, recovering his composure.
``He is a perfect stranger to me; but I once
knew a man of that name, and a precious rascal he
was. When you mentioned his name, I thought he
might be a son of this man. Does he say his father
is alive?''
``No; he is dead, and his mother, too, so the boy
says.''
``You haven't told me how my uncle fell in with
him?''
``It was an accident. Your uncle fell in getting
out of a Broadway stage, and this boy happened to
be near, and seeing Mr. Wharton was a rich gentleman,
he helped him home, and was invited in. Then
he told some story about his poverty, and so worked
upon your uncle's feelings that he hired him to read
to him at five dollars a week.''
``Is this all the boy does?''
``No; he is cash-boy in a large store on Broadway.
He is employed there all day, and he is here only in
the evenings.''
``Does my uncle seem attached to him?'' asked
John.
``He's getting fond of him, I should say. The other
day he asked me if I didn't think it would be a good
thing to take him into the house and give him a
room. I suppose the boy put it into his head.''
``No doubt. What did you say?''
``I opposed it. I told him that a boy would be a
great deal of trouble in the family.''
``You did right, Mrs. Bradley. What did my uncle
say?''
``He hinted about taking him from the store and
letting him go to school. The next thing would be
his adopting him. The fact is, Mr. John, the boy is
so artful that he knows just how to manage your
uncle. No doubt he put the idea into Mr. Wharton's
head, and he may do it yet.''
``Does my uncle give any reason for the fancy he
has taken to the boy?'' demanded John
``Yes,'' said the housekeeper. ``He has taken it
into his head that the boy resembles your cousin,
George, who died abroad. You were with him, I
believe?''
``Yes, I was with him. Is the resemblance strong?
I took very little notice of him.''
``You can look for yourself when you go back,''
answered the housekeeper.
``What else did my uncle say? Tell me all.''
``He said: `What would I give, Mrs. Bradley, if
I had such a grandson? If George's boy had lived,
he would have been about Frank's age. And,'' continued
the housekeeper, ``I might as well speak
plainly. You're my master's heir, or ought to be;
but if this artful boy stays here long, there's no
knowing what your uncle may be influenced to do.
If he gets into his dotage, he may come to adopt him,
and leave the property away from you.''
``I believe you are quite right. The danger exists,
and we must guard against it. I see you don't like
the boy,'' said John Wade.
``No, I don't. He's separated your uncle and me.
Before he came, I used to spend my evenings in the
library, and read to your uncle. Besides, when I
found your uncle wanted a reader, I asked him to
take my nephew, who is a salesman in the very same
store where that boy is a cash-boy, but although I've
been twenty years in this house I could not get him to
grant the favor, which he granted to that boy, whom
he never met till a few weeks ago.''
``Mrs. Bradley, I sympathize with you,'' said her
companion. ``The boy is evidentlyworking against
us both. You have been twenty years in my uncle's
service. He ought to remember you handsomely in
his will. If I inherit the property, as is my right,
your services shall be remembered,'' said John Wade.
``Thank you, Mr. John,'' said the gratified housekeeper.
``That secures her help,'' thought John, in his turn.
``She will now work hard for me. When the time
comes, I can do as much or as little for her as I
please.''
``Of course, we must work together against this
interloper, who appears to have gained a dangerous
influence over my uncle.''
``You can depend upon me, Mr. John,'' said Mrs.
Bradley.
``I will think it over, and tell you my plan,'' said
John Wade. ``But my uncle will wonder at my appetite.
I must go back to the library. We will speak
of this subject again.''
``I am his nephew, just arrived from Europe. Let
him know that I am here, and would like to see
him.''
The servant, who had never before seen him,
having only been six months in the house, regarded him
with a great deal of curiosity, and then went to do
his biddng.
``My nephew arrived!'' exclaimed Mr. Wharton, in
surprise. ``Why, he never let me know he was coming.''
``Will you see him, sir?''
``To be sure! Bring him in at once.''
``My dear uncle!'' exclaimed John Wade, with
effusion, for he was a polite man, and could act when it
suited his interests to do so, ``I am glad to see you.
How is your health?''
``I am getting older every day, John.''
``You don't look a day older, sir,'' said John, who
did not believe what he said, for he could plainly
see that his uncle had grown older since he last saw
him.
``You think so, John, but I feel it. Your coming
is a surprise. You did not write that you intended
sailing.''
``I formed the determination very suddenly, sir.''
``Were you tired of Europe?''
``No; but I wanted to see you, sir.''
``Thank you, John,'' said his uncle, pressing his
nephew's hand. ``I am glad you think so much of
me. Did you have a pleasant voyage?''
``Rather rough, sir.''
``You have had no supper, of course? If you will
ring the bell, the housekeeper will see that some is
got ready for you.''
``Is Mrs. Bradley still in your employ, uncle?''
``Yes, John. I am so used to her that I shouldn't
know how to get along without her.''
Hitherto John Wade had been so occupied with his
uncle that he had not observed Frank. But at this
moment our hero coughed, involuntarily, and John
Wade looked at him. He seemed to be singularly
affected. He started perceptibly, and his sallow face
blanched, as his eager eyes were fixed on the boy's
face.
``Good heavens!'' he muttered to himself. ``Who is
that boy? How comes he here?''
Frank noticed his intent gaze, and wondered at it,
but Mr. Wharton's eyesight was defective, and he
did not perceive his nephew's excitement.
``I see you have a young visitor, uncle,'' said John
Wade.
``Oh, yes,'' said Mr. Wharton, with a kindly smile.
``He spends all his evenings with me.''
``What do you mean, sir?'' demanded John Wade,
with sudden suspicion and fear. ``He seems very
young company for----''
``For a man of my years,'' said Mr. Wharton,
finishing the sentence. ``You are right, John. But, you
see, my eyes are weak, and I cannot use them for
reading in the evening, so it occurred to me to engage
a reader.''
``Very true,'' said his nephew. He wished to
inquire the name of the boy whose appearance had so
powerfully impressed him but he determined not to
do so at present. What information he sought he
preferred to obtain from the housekeeper.
``He seemed surprised, as if he had seen me some
where before, and recognized me,'' thought Frank,
``but I don't remember him. If I had seen his face
before, I think I should remember it.''
``Don't come out, uncle.'' said John Wade, when
summoned to tea by the housekeeper. ``Mrs. Bradley
and I are going to have a chat by ourselves, and
I will soon return.''
``You are looking thin, Mr. John,'' said Mrs Bradley.
``Am I thinner than usual? I never was very
corpulent, you know. How is my uncle's health? He
says he is well.''
``He is pretty well, but he isn't as young as he
was.''
``I think he looks older,'' said John. ``But that is
not surprising--at his age. He is seventy, isn't he?''
``Not quite. He is sixty-nine.''
``His father died at seventy-one.''
``Yes.''
``But that is no reason why my uncle should not
live till eighty. I hope he will.''
``We all hope so,'' said the housekeeper; but she
knew, while she spoke, that if, as she supposed, Mr.
Wharton's will contained a generouslegacy for her,
his death would not afflict her much. She suspected
also that John Wade was waitingimpatiently for
his uncle's death, that he might enter upon his
inheritance. Still, their little social fictions must be
kept up, and so both expressed a desire for his continued
life, though neither was deceived as to the
other's real feeling on the subject.
``By the way, Mrs. Bradley,'' said John Wade,
``how came my uncle to engage that boy to read to
him?''
``He was led into it, sir,'' said the housekeeper,
with a great deal of indignation, ``by the boy himself.
He's an artful and designing fellow, you may
rely upon it.''
``What's his name?''
``Frank Fowler.''
``Fowler! Is his name Fowler?'' he repeated, with
a startled expression.
``Yes, sir,'' answered the housekeeper, rather
surprised at his manner. ``You don't know anything
about him, do you?''
``Oh, no,'' said John Wade, recovering his composure.
``He is a perfect stranger to me; but I once
knew a man of that name, and a precious rascal he
was. When you mentioned his name, I thought he
might be a son of this man. Does he say his father
is alive?''
``No; he is dead, and his mother, too, so the boy
says.''
``You haven't told me how my uncle fell in with
him?''
``It was an accident. Your uncle fell in getting
out of a Broadway stage, and this boy happened to
be near, and seeing Mr. Wharton was a rich gentleman,
he helped him home, and was invited in. Then
he told some story about his poverty, and so worked
upon your uncle's feelings that he hired him to read
to him at five dollars a week.''
``Is this all the boy does?''
``No; he is cash-boy in a large store on Broadway.
He is employed there all day, and he is here only in
the evenings.''
``Does my uncle seem attached to him?'' asked
John.
``He's getting fond of him, I should say. The other
day he asked me if I didn't think it would be a good
thing to take him into the house and give him a
room. I suppose the boy put it into his head.''
``No doubt. What did you say?''
``I opposed it. I told him that a boy would be a
great deal of trouble in the family.''
``You did right, Mrs. Bradley. What did my uncle
say?''
``He hinted about taking him from the store and
letting him go to school. The next thing would be
his adopting him. The fact is, Mr. John, the boy is
so artful that he knows just how to manage your
uncle. No doubt he put the idea into Mr. Wharton's
head, and he may do it yet.''
``Does my uncle give any reason for the fancy he
has taken to the boy?'' demanded John
``Yes,'' said the housekeeper. ``He has taken it
into his head that the boy resembles your cousin,
George, who died abroad. You were with him, I
believe?''
``Yes, I was with him. Is the resemblance strong?
I took very little notice of him.''
``You can look for yourself when you go back,''
answered the housekeeper.
``What else did my uncle say? Tell me all.''
``He said: `What would I give, Mrs. Bradley, if
I had such a grandson? If George's boy had lived,
he would have been about Frank's age. And,'' continued
the housekeeper, ``I might as well speak
plainly. You're my master's heir, or ought to be;
but if this artful boy stays here long, there's no
knowing what your uncle may be influenced to do.
If he gets into his dotage, he may come to adopt him,
and leave the property away from you.''
``I believe you are quite right. The danger exists,
and we must guard against it. I see you don't like
the boy,'' said John Wade.
``No, I don't. He's separated your uncle and me.
Before he came, I used to spend my evenings in the
library, and read to your uncle. Besides, when I
found your uncle wanted a reader, I asked him to
take my nephew, who is a salesman in the very same
store where that boy is a cash-boy, but although I've
been twenty years in this house I could not get him to
grant the favor, which he granted to that boy, whom
he never met till a few weeks ago.''
``Mrs. Bradley, I sympathize with you,'' said her
companion. ``The boy is evidentlyworking against
us both. You have been twenty years in my uncle's
service. He ought to remember you handsomely in
his will. If I inherit the property, as is my right,
your services shall be remembered,'' said John Wade.
``Thank you, Mr. John,'' said the gratified housekeeper.
``That secures her help,'' thought John, in his turn.
``She will now work hard for me. When the time
comes, I can do as much or as little for her as I
please.''
``Of course, we must work together against this
interloper, who appears to have gained a dangerous
influence over my uncle.''
``You can depend upon me, Mr. John,'' said Mrs.
Bradley.
``I will think it over, and tell you my plan,'' said
John Wade. ``But my uncle will wonder at my appetite.
I must go back to the library. We will speak
of this subject again.''
- nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju]
n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词) - curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)
- polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)
- intent [in´tent] a.专心致志的 n.意图 (初中英语单词)
- perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)
- visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)
- suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)
- sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
- generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)
- abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)
- evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- determination [di,tə:mi´neiʃən] n.决心；决定 (高中英语单词)
- housekeeper [´haus,ki:pə] n.主妇，女管家 (高中英语单词)
- indignation [,indig´neiʃən] n.愤慨；气愤 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- rascal [´rɑ:skəl] n.流氓 (高中英语单词)
- broadway [´brɔ:dwei] n.&a.百老汇大街(的) (高中英语单词)
- seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
- resemblance [ri´zembləns] n.类似；肖像；外表 (高中英语单词)
- salesman [´seilzmən] n.店员；推销员 (高中英语单词)
- inherit [in´herit] v.继承；遗传 (高中英语单词)
- defective [di´fektiv] a.有缺陷的；有瑕疵的 (英语四级单词)
- afflict [ə´flikt] vt.使痛苦；折磨 (英语四级单词)
- impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)
- grandson [´grænsʌn] n.孙子；外孙子 (英语四级单词)
- involuntarily [in´vɔləntərili] ad.不 自觉地 (英语六级单词)
- legacy [´legəsi] n.遗产；传代物 (英语六级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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