echoed loudly in the narrow lane. The gardener had received his



answer; and he looked down into Harry's face with an obnoxious

smile.



"A thief!" he said. "Upon my word, and a very good thing you must

make of it; for I see you dressed like a gentleman from top to toe.



Are you not ashamed to go about the world in such a trim, with

honest folk, I dare say, glad to buy your cast-off finery second



hand? Speak up, you dog," the man went on; "you can understand

English, I suppose; and I mean to have a bit of talk with you



before I march you to the station."

"Indeed, sir," said Harry, "this is all a dreadful misconception;



and if you will go with me to Sir Thomas Vandeleur's in Eaton

Place, I can promise that all will be made plain. The most upright



person, as I now perceive, can be led into suspicious positions."

"My little man," replied the gardener, "I will go with you no



farther than the station-house in the next street. The inspector,

no doubt, will be glad to take a stroll with you as far as Eaton



Place, and have a bit of afternoon tea with your great

acquaintances. Or would you prefer to go direct to the Home



Secretary? Sir Thomas Vandeleur, indeed! Perhaps you think I

don't know a gentleman when I see one, from a common run-the-hedge



like you? Clothes or no clothes, I can read you like a book. Here

is a shirt that maybe cost as much as my Sunday hat; and that coat,



I take it, has never seen the inside of Rag-fair, and then your

boots - "



The man, whose eyes had fallen upon the ground, stopped short in

his insulting commentary, and remained for a moment looking



intently upon something at his feet. When he spoke his voice was

strangely altered.



"What, in God's name," said he, "is all this?"

Harry, following the direction of the man's eyes, beheld a



spectacle that struck him dumb with terror and amazement. In his

fall he had descended vertically upon the bandbox and burst it open



from end to end; thence a great treasure of diamonds had poured

forth, and now lay abroad, part trodden in the soil, part scattered



on the surface in regal and glittering profusion. There was a

magnificent coronet which he had often admired on Lady Vandeleur;



there were rings and brooches, ear-drops and bracelets, and even

unset brilliants rolling here and there among the rosebushes like



drops of morning dew. A princely fortune lay between the two men

upon the ground - a fortune in the most inviting, solid, and



durable form, capable of being carried in an apron, beautiful in

itself, and scattering the sunlight in a million rainbow flashes.



"Good God!" said Harry, "I am lost!"

His mind raced backwards into the past with the incalculable



velocity of thought, and he began to comprehend his day's

adventures, to conceive them as a whole, and to recognise the sad



imbroglio in which his own character and fortunes had become

involved. He looked round him as if for help, but he was alone in



the garden, with his scattered diamonds and his redoubtable

interlocutor; and when he gave ear, there was no sound but the



rustle of the leaves and the hurried pulsation of his heart. It

was little wonder if the young man felt himself deserted by his



spirits, and with a broken voice repeated his last ejaculation - "I

am lost!"



The gardener peered in all directions with an air of guilt; but

there was no face at any of the windows, and he seemed to breathe



again.

"Pick up a heart," he said, "you fool! The worst of it is done.



Why could you not say at first there was enough for two? Two?" he

repeated, "aye, and for two hundred! But come away from here,



where we may be observed; and, for the love of wisdom, straighten

out your hat and brush your clothes. You could not travel two



steps the figure of fun you look just now."

While Harry mechanically adopted these suggestions, the gardener,



getting upon his knees, hastily drew together the scattered jewels

and returned them to the bandbox. The touch of these costly



crystals sent a shiver of emotion through the man's stalwart frame;

his face was transfigured, and his eyes shone with concupiscence;



indeed it seemed as if he luxuriously prolonged his occupation, and

• hammer [´hæmə] n.锤子 v.重击 (初中英语单词)


• volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)


• shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


• diligently [´dilidʒəntli] ad.勤奋地 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)


• nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)


• obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• behave [bi´heiv] v.举止；表现；举止端正 (初中英语单词)


• embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)


• upward [´ʌpwəd] a.&ad.向上(的)；以上 (初中英语单词)


• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)


• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)


• perfume [´pə:fju:m, pə´fju:m] n.香味 vt.使发香 (初中英语单词)


• considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)


• extent [ik´stent] n.长度；程度；范围 (初中英语单词)


• plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• circuit [´sə:kit] n.环行 v.(绕….)环行 (初中英语单词)


• mechanical [mi´kænikəl] a.机械的；力学的 (初中英语单词)


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)


• gravely [´greivli] ad.庄重地，严肃地 (初中英语单词)


• absolutely [´æbsəlu:tli] ad.绝对地；确实 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


• ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)


• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)


• perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)


• amazement [ə´meizmənt] n.惊愕；惊奇 (初中英语单词)


• thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


• sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)


• conceive [kən´si:v] v.设想；表达；怀孕 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)


• shiver [´ʃivə] v.&n.(使)颤抖；碎片 (初中英语单词)


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• occupation [,ɔkju´peiʃən] a.职业的；军事占领的 (初中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)


• cordial [´kɔ:diəl] a.热忱的；亲切的 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• exceedingly [ik´si:diŋli] ad.非常地，极度地 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• foliage [´fəuli-idʒ] n.叶子，簇叶 (高中英语单词)


• abreast [ə´brest] ad.并排，并肩 (高中英语单词)


• vigour [´vigə] (=vigor) n.活力；精力 (高中英语单词)


• incredible [in´kredəbəl] a.不能相信的；惊人的 (高中英语单词)


• headlong [´hedlɔŋ] ad.&a.轻率地(的) (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• admirable [´ædmərəbəl] a.极佳的，值得赞美的 (高中英语单词)


• gravel [´grævəl] n.砾石 vt.铺砾石 (高中英语单词)


• divert [dai´və:t] vt.转移注意力；消遣 (高中英语单词)


• roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• gardener [´gɑ:dnə] n.园艺家；园林工人 (高中英语单词)


• suspicious [sə´spiʃəs] a.可疑的，多疑的 (高中英语单词)


• stroll [strəul] n.&v.漫步；散步；游荡 (高中英语单词)


• rainbow [´reinbəu] n.彩虹 (高中英语单词)


• comprehend [,kɔmpri´hend] vt.了解；领会；包含 (高中英语单词)


• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• prudence [´pru:dəns] n.谨慎；慎重；节俭 (英语四级单词)


• tension [´tenʃən] n.紧张；压力；拉力 (英语四级单词)


• providence [´prɔvidəns] n.天意，天命，上帝 (英语四级单词)


• persecution [,pə:si´kju:ʃən] n.迫害；残害；困扰 (英语四级单词)


• energetic [,enə´dʒetik] a.精力旺盛的；有力的 (英语四级单词)


• sordid [´sɔ:did] a.(指环境等)肮脏的 (英语四级单词)


• personage [´pə:sənidʒ] n.名流；人物，角色 (英语四级单词)


• proffer [´prɔfə] vt.&n.提供；贡献 (英语四级单词)


• hoarse [hɔ:s] a.嘶哑的；嗓门粗哑的 (英语四级单词)


• commentary [´kɔməntəri] n.评论；评注；解说词 (英语四级单词)


• princely [´prinsli] a.王候般的；高贵的 (英语四级单词)


• accelerate [ək´seləreit] v.加速；变快；促进 (英语六级单词)


• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)


• coronet [´kɔrənit] n.(王子戴的)冠；花冠 (英语六级单词)


• inviting [in´vaitiŋ] a.动人的 (英语六级单词)


• backwards [´bækwədz] ad.向后 a.向后的 (英语六级单词)


• mechanically [mi´kænikəli] ad.机械地；无意识地 (英语六级单词)