登陆注册
5288900000006

第6章 CHAPTER II. THE BONDED PRISONER(2)

"It's Herman--that coloured boy lives in the alley," Penrod said hoarsely. "I expect--I think--"

"Well, what's the matter?"

"I think his little brother's maybe got lost, and Sam and I better go help look--"

"You'll do nothing of the kind," Mr. Schofield said sharply. "Sit down and eat your dinner."

In a palsy, the miserable boy resumed his seat. He and Sam exchanged a single dumb glance; then the eyes of both swung fearfully to Margaret. Her appearance was one of sprightly content, and, from a certain point of view, nothing could have been more alarming. If she had opened her closet door without discovering Verman, that must have been because Verman was dead and Margaret had failed to notice the body. (Such were the thoughts of Penrod and Sam.) But she might not have opened the closet door. And whether she had or not, Verman must still be there, alive or dead, for if he had escaped he would have gone home, and their ears would not be ringing with the sinister and melancholy cry that now came from the distance, "Oo-o-oh, Ver-er-ma-an!"

Verman, in his seclusion, did not hear that appeal from his brother; there were too many walls between them. But he was becoming impatient for release, though, all in all, he had not found the confinement intolerable or even very irksome. His character was philosophic, his imagination calm; no bugaboos came to trouble him. When the boys closed the door upon him, he made himself comfortable upon the floor and, for a time, thoughtfully chewed a patent-leather slipper that had come under his hand. He found the patent leather not unpleasant to his palate, though he swallowed only a portion of what he detached, not being hungry at that time. The soul-fabric of Verman was of a fortunate weave; he was not a seeker and questioner. When it happened to him that he was at rest in a shady corner, he did not even think about a place in the sun. Verman took life as it came.

Naturally, he fell asleep. And toward the conclusion of his slumbers, he had this singular adventure: a lady set her foot down within less than half an inch of his nose--and neither of them knew it. Verman slept on, without being wakened by either the closing or the opening of the door. What did rouse him was something ample and soft falling upon him--Margaret's cape, which slid from the hook after she had gone.

Enveloped in its folds, Verman sat up, corkscrewing his knuckles into the corners of his eyes. Slowly he became aware of two important vacuums--one in time and one in his stomach. Hours had vanished strangely into nowhere; the game of bonded prisoner was something cloudy and remote of the long, long ago, and, although Verman knew where he was, he had partially forgotten how he came there. He perceived, however, that something had gone wrong, for he was certain that he ought not to be where he found himself.

WHITE-FOLKS' HOUSE! The fact that Verman could not have pronounced these words rendered them no less clear in his mind; they began to stir his apprehension, and nothing becomes more rapidly tumultuous than apprehension once it is stirred. That he might possibly obtain release by making a noise was too daring a thought and not even conceived, much less entertained, by the little and humble Verman. For, with the bewildering gap of his slumber between him and previous events, he did not place the responsibility for his being in White-Folks' House upon the white folks who had put him there. His state of mind was that of the stable-puppy who knows he MUST not be found in the parlour. Not thrice in his life had Verman been within the doors of White-Folks' House, and, above all things, he felt that it was in some undefined way vital to him to get out of White-Folks' House unobserved and unknown. It was in his very blood to be sure of that.

Further than this point, the processes of Verman's mind become mysterious to the observer. It appears, however, that he had a definite (though somewhat primitive) conception of the usefulness of disguise; and he must have begun his preparations before he heard footsteps in the room outside his closed door.

These footsteps were Margaret's. Just as Mr. Schofield's coffee was brought, and just after Penrod had been baffled in another attempt to leave the table, Margaret rose and patted her father impertinently upon the head.

"You can't bully ME that way!" she said. "I got home too late to dress, and I'm going to a dance. 'Scuse!"

And she began her dancing on the spot, pirouetting herself swiftly out of the room, and was immediately heard running up the stairs.

"Penrod!" Mr. Schofield shouted. "Sit down! How many times am I going to tell you? What IS the matter with you to-night?"

同类推荐
  • 谴告篇

    谴告篇

    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。
  • 广嗣纪要

    广嗣纪要

    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。
  • 大方广佛华严经-实叉难陀

    大方广佛华严经-实叉难陀

    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。
  • 师友诗传录

    师友诗传录

    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。
  • Female Suffrage

    Female Suffrage

    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
  • 刷新世界的100个技术发明(下)(世界历史回眸经典文库)

    刷新世界的100个技术发明(下)(世界历史回眸经典文库)

    技术发明是应用自然规律解决技术领域中特有问题而提出创新性方案、措施的过程和成果。发明的成果或是提供前所未有的人工自然物模型,故而技术发明可以为我们的生活带来翻天覆地的变化,看《刷新世界的100个技术发明》,让我们对那些影响深远的技术发明有一个全面的了解,同时也可以打开我们创新的思维。
  • 潇洒江湖行

    潇洒江湖行

    她扮成小混混玩转皇宫江湖,过的无比潇洒!
  • 夜先生的心尖宝

    夜先生的心尖宝

    【宠文,爽文,1V1甜宠文!】(推荐新书《三爷你老婆又手撕渣渣了》超能撩的的女王殿下,强势来袭,欢迎前去围观起哄)重生前,她被贱女洗脑,被闺蜜陷害,被他冷落软禁一生,怀胎七月,最后却惨被贱女剖腹挖子,惨死荒野;重生后,她遇神杀神,遇佛杀佛,智商上线后,完虐渣男贱女,成为万人敬仰的夜家少奶奶,集万千宠爱于一身。前世,季沫以为夜水寒残暴无仁,杀伐果断,阴戾诡谲,是个冷血无情杀人不眨眼的男人;现世,季沫才知道夜水寒唯一不能接受的只有一件事:她不爱他!
  • 黛玉别嫁

    黛玉别嫁

    她是极道之主,她是竹魂精灵,今生,她更是一个与众不同的黛玉。既然她是黛玉,那么她的黛玉她做主,不需别人来主宰。美玉虽好,却不是她需要。将军虽宠,不是她追求。他虽然狠绝,却是她并肩同行之人。这又是一个不同的妹妹故事,有点混淆历史,因此不做历史考证,请不要随便拿历史来比较,谢谢!***推荐好友作品*******泪语忧谭《红楼之凰求玉》落叶孤单《七日皇后》铃兰轻声《水玉梦醉红楼情》长河晨日《红楼梦断之大漠潇湘》断崖《红楼之倾尽天下》心随碧草《红楼一梦之千古情痴》***推荐其他类型作品*****沐血夜《凤麟》君幻凤《凤破苍穹》莲子儿《错惹贼妃》孤月如我《绝煞弃女》轨迹图图《邪帝冷妻》凤舞阁主《白发魔姬》慕容雪馨《魅夜罂粟冷公主》
  • 夺爱天使

    夺爱天使

    她在最美的年华遇见他,原以为青梅竹马便是永远,可世事没有不变。多年之后再相遇,他们默契装作不相识。她想要挣脱这段错过的情缘,他却恶狠狠的质问:颜海若,你早就已经是我的人,再做一次又如何?被他用尽心思留在身边,人前无情人后温柔,斗嘴斗心斗枕边。当她再次沦陷时才知,他的好,都是隐藏的恨,于是她逃离。蓦然回首时,她才大悟,从来从来,在他恨的背后,全都是隐藏最深最深的爱。擦干为爱而流的泪,我要做夺爱的天使,可最深爱我的人啊,你还在不在?
  • 舍得大全集

    舍得大全集

    舍得一词,举重若轻,似四两拨千斤般解释了人生旅途上大大小小的事物。就如水与火、天与地、阴与阳一样,是既对立又统一的矛盾概念,相生相克,相辅相成,存在于天地,存在于人世,存在于我们的心间,存在于微妙的细节,囊括了万物运行的所有机理。万事万物均在舍得之中,才能达至和谐,达到统一。
  • 武岭梦残:蒋介石在大陆的最后日子

    武岭梦残:蒋介石在大陆的最后日子

    王泰栋、薛家柱、李政编著的《武岭梦残(蒋介石在大陆的最后日子)》以1949年4月25日蒋介石离开故乡登上泰康号兵舰前的情景为引子,记叙蒋介石在大陆最后的日子。全书选取1949年蒋介石第三次下野、回溪口进谱寻祖、陈仪下台、与李宗仁明争暗斗、逃到成都、最后一次舟山普陀行等一系列历史事件中富有典型性的精彩片段。在忠实于真实记录历史的基础上,通过大量心理描写和细腻刻画,记录了蒋介石在大陆最后日子的政治活动和内心活动。
  • 武境

    武境

    世人修武,三脉分,月读稀,烈日阳,星辉强,武道磨折多,离愁欢喜修武道,世间再乱,三脉合,武帝出,人物阴险狡诈、性格豪爽。
  • 阴符经讲义

    阴符经讲义

    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。
  • 魔路相逢

    魔路相逢

    说来可笑,想她堂堂一世神医,却死在了自己的毒之下。谁知,命不该绝,她,重获新生。无颜废材?天生弱智?呵!看本姑娘如何亮瞎你们的眼睛!一手银针,展现医毒无双。虐渣渣,闯六界,一不小心……惹上了个大麻烦。“国师,你有空吗?小女子有个情爱想与你谈谈。”……某日,某绝色美男笑看着怀里想要逃跑的家伙说道:“小家伙,我答应与你谈情说爱了。”“可我不想了……”“是你先招惹我的,现在可由不得你了。了……”某美男脸上露出得意的笑。