登陆注册
4617200000080

第80章

Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas HiggsHiggs's factory was a mine of delight for the gossips of Birmingham. It was a small building but quite large enough to hold a mystery. Who the proprietor was, or where he came from none could tell. He looked like a gentleman, that was certain, though everybody knew he had risen from an apprenticeship, and he could handle his pen like a writing master.

Years ago he had suddenly appeared in the place a lad of eighteen, learned his trade faithfully, and risen in the confidence of his employer, been taken in as a partner soon after the time was up. Finally, when old Willett died, had assumed the business on his own hands. This was all that was known of his affairs.

It was a common remark among some of the good people that he never had a word to say to a Christian soul, while others declared that though he spoke beautifully when he chose to, there was something wrong in his accent. A tidy man, too, they called him, all but for having that scandalous green pond alongside of his factory, which wasn't deep enough for an eel and was "just a fever nest, as sure as you live."His nationality was a great puzzle. The English name spoke plain enough for ONE side of his house, but of what manner of nation was his mother? If she'd been an American, he'd certainly have had high cheekbones and reddish skin; if a German, he would have known the language, and Squire Smith declared that he didn't; if French (and his having that frog pond made it seem likely), it would come out in his speech. No, there was nothing he could be but Dutch. And, strangest of all, though the man always pricked up his ears when you talked of Holland, he didn't seem to know the first thing about the country when you put him to the point.

Anyhow, as no letters ever came to him from his mother's family in Holland, and as nobody living had ever seen old Higgs, the family couldn't be anything much. Probably Thomas Higgs himself was no better than he should be, for all he pretended to carry himself so straight; and for their parts, the gossips declared, they were not going to trouble their heads about him.

Consequently Thomas Higgs and his affairs were never-failing subjects of discussion.

Picture, then, the consternation among all the good people when it was announced by "somebody who was there and ought to know,"that the postboy had that very morning handed Higgs a foreign-looking letter, and the man had "turned as white as the wall, rushed to his factory, talked a bit with one of the head workmen, and without bidding a creature good-bye, was off bag and baggage, before you could wink, ma'am." Mistress Scrubbs, his landlady, was in deep affliction. The dear soul became quite out of breath while speaking of him. "To leave lodgin's in that suddent way, without never so much as a day's warnin', which was what every woman who didn't wish to be trodden underfoot, which thank hevving wasn't HER way, had a perfect right to expect;yes, and a week's warnin' now you mention it, and without even so much as sayin' 'Many thanks, Mistress Scrubbs, for all past kindnesses,' which was most numerous, though she said it who shouldn't say it; leastwise she wasn't never no kind of person to be lookin' for thanks every minnit. It was really scanderlous, though to be sure Mister 'iggs paid up everythin' to the last farthin' and it fairly brought tears to my eyes to see his dear empty boots lyin' there in the corner of his room, which alone showed trouble of mind for he always stood 'em up straight as solgers, though bein' half-soled twice they hadn't, of course, been worth takin' away."Whereupon her dearest friend, Miss Scrumpkins, ran home to tell all about it. And, as everybody knew the Scrumpkinses, a shining gossamer of news was soon woven from one end of the street to the other.

An investigating committee met that evening at Mrs.

Snigham's--sitting in secret session over her best china. Though invited only to a quiet "tea," the amount of judicial business they transacted on the occasion was prodigious. The biscuits were actually cold before the committee had a chance to eat anything. There was so much to talk over, and it was so important that it should be firmly established that each member had always been "certain sure that something extraordinary would be happening to that man yet," that it was nearly eight o'clock before Mrs. Snigham gave anybody a second cup.

Broad SunshineOne snowy day in January Laurens Boekman went with his father to pay his respects to the Brinker family.

Raff was resting after the labors of the day; Gretel, having filled and lighted his pipe, was brushing every speck of ash from the hearth; the dame was spinning; and Hans, perched upon a stool by the window, was diligently studying his lessons. It was a peaceful, happy household whose main excitement during the past week had been the looking forward to this possible visit from Thomas Higgs.

As soon as the grand presentation was over, Dame Brinker insisted upon giving her guests some hot tea; it was enough to freeze anyone, she said, to be out in such crazy, blustering weather.

While they were talking with her husband she whispered to Gretel that the young gentleman's eyes and her boy's were certainly as much alike as four beans, to say nothing of a way they both had of looking as if they were stupid and yet knew as much as a body's grandfather.

Gretel was disappointed. She had looked forward to a tragic scene, such as Annie Bouman had often described to her, from storybooks; and here was the gentleman who came so near being a murderer, who for ten years had been wandering over the face of the earth, who believed himself deserted and scorned by his father--the very young gentleman who had fled from his country in such magnificent trouble, sitting by the fire just as pleasant and natural as could be!

同类推荐
  • 孙子批注

    孙子批注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Lizzie Leigh

    Lizzie Leigh

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 匡谬正俗

    匡谬正俗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 晚春登大云寺南楼

    晚春登大云寺南楼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 黄箓九幽醮无碍夜斋次第仪

    黄箓九幽醮无碍夜斋次第仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 画地为牢之娇宠一世

    画地为牢之娇宠一世

    七年前一场一见钟情的相遇,就注定两人要终生纠缠。七年前,因为陷害桢楠入狱,欧阳宸如同天使带着十七岁的桢楠离开,三年的真心相待终抵不过一场陷害,消失四年,当桢楠病痛缠身带着无奈,过往再次归来。才发现心中的男人如此的恨自己。当年的真相究竟是什么?当年的往事,四年乃至七年前的陷害和误会。身世之谜,闺蜜之情,爱情的坚守。都在岁月的流逝下一一的揭开。
  • 帝君魔妃

    帝君魔妃

    她,臭名响遍整个琉璃大陆,无人不知;她,却又为人所不知,无人实其容貌,无人知其真人;一张圣旨,“将军府四小姐,娴雅端庄…封为太子妃,待及鬓之日完婚,终生不得废!”她,被推倒浪尖之上。废物嫁予天才太子,是好运还是阴谋,她不予理会,该来的总是回来的,况且,也是该离开的时候了,七年,沉寂的时间已经该完结了。曾经传说中的废物,化为血水的祭祀品,再一次出现时,让所有人亮花了眼,高级炼药师?杀人于无形?魔君挚爱之人?她,到底还有多少秘密?面对众多猜疑,她淡笑,谁能想得到,她的武器居然是那满头墨发!他,一国皇叔,淡泊于政治,威信却凌驾于皇族;他,冷漠、淡然,一双鹰眸看透世间所有;他,皇族人敬,江湖中人畏,是神是魔?他,谜一样的人,一张面具遮挡了世人的眼,却唯独逃不过命运;他,风一样无影无踪,即使是天涯海角却都逃不过她的追随;然而,谁知这一切是不是他的欲擒故纵呢…
  • 快穿女配之boss大人别过来

    快穿女配之boss大人别过来

    安琪也不知道怎么回事就稀里糊涂的被那个随时抽风的系统选中了,然后从此就开始过上了拆穿女主真面目的日子,真的是好不痛快。什么?妖孽男人是从哪儿来的?这么死心眼外带脑残?走走走,一边去,老娘还要做任务呢!
  • 端溪砚谱

    端溪砚谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Knitlandia
  • 信使

    信使

    本书是中国科幻第一人之称的刘慈欣(大刘)发表的短篇科幻小说。第二天晚上,当老人刚把弓放到琴弦上时,年轻人突然出现了。“你来要琴吗?”老人不安地问。年轻人点点头。“哦……如果能把它送给我的话……”“绝对不行,真对不起教授,绝对不行。我不能在现在留下任何东西。”老人沉思起来,他有些明白了。双手托起那把琴,他问:“那么这个,不是现在的东西了?”年轻人点点头。他现在站在窗前,窗外,银河横贯长空,群星灿烂,在这壮丽的背景前他呈现出一个黑色的剪影。老人现在明白了更多的事。他想起了年轻人神奇的预测能力,其实很简单,他不是在预测,是回忆。
  • 东鳞西爪集

    东鳞西爪集

    本书分三辑:风俗人情、禽兽鱼虫、草木花果。作者从历代画家常撷之入画的某一种题材入手,阐述其文史渊源、民俗特征、审美导向,旁征博引,娓娓道来,同时细说画境、画意、画法、画理,既具有宏观上的认识性,又具有操作上的实用性。
  • 全职法师

    全职法师

    一觉醒来,世界巨变。藏匿于西湖下的图腾玄蛇,屹立时如摩天大厦。游荡在古都城墙外的亡灵大军,它们只听从皇陵下传出的低语。埃及金字塔中的冥王,它和它的部众始终觊觎着东方大地!伦敦有着伟大的驯龙世家。希腊帕特农圣山上,有神女祈福。威尼斯被誉为水系魔法之都。奈斯卡巨画从沉睡中苏醒。贺兰山风与雨侵蚀出的岩纹,组成一只眼,山脊是眶,数万年来凝视着上苍。
  • Oh Yeah, Audrey!

    Oh Yeah, Audrey!

    It's 5:00 a.m. on Fifth Avenue, and 16-year-old Gemma Beasley is standing in front of Tiffany & Co. wearing the perfect black dress with her coffee in hand—just like Holly Golightly. As the cofounder of a successful Tumblr blog—Oh Yeah Audrey!—devoted to all things Audrey Hepburn, Gemma has traveled to New York in order to meet up with her fellow bloggers for the first time. She has meticulously planned out a 24-hour adventure in homage to Breakfast at Tiffany's; however, her plans are derailed when a glamorous boy sweeps in and offers her the New York experience she's always dreamed of. Gemma soon learns who her true friends are and that, sometimes, no matter where you go, you just end up finding wkkk.net with hip and sparkling prose, Oh Yeah, Audrey! is as much a story of friendship as it is a love letter to New York, Audrey Hepburn, and the character she made famous: Holly Golightly.
  • 名门毒医

    名门毒医

    作为精通岐黄之术又擅长用毒的的现代女医生,方青罗表示:姐从来就不是吃素的!so重生古代,身世复杂又如何?且看她如何经营药田,打理农庄,玩转名门,“毒”来“毒”往,逍遥自在。=====某咔新书《带着萌宝去种田》已发布,种田甜文,绝对值得一读,求围观!穿越成为大了肚子的弃妇,白若竹决定靠山吃山靠水吃水,靠空间吃空间,带着萌宝种田经商奔小康。可是一个两个都想给她家宝宝做爹,你们够资格吗?“娘亲,我想有个爹嘛。”“娘还在观察,观察一下。”---新书《福妻跃农门》发布,求收藏求圈养~