登陆注册
5392600000123

第123章

"Yes, sensible, if you can.I don't care who your father was.He was a smart banker, before he went wrong, and I can see now where you inherited your ability.But never mind that.He's dead; let him stay so.I'm not trying to get him.It's you I want.""You want ME! Do you mean you would take me into your employ, knowing who I am?""Sure! It is because I know WHAT you are that I want you.""Mr.Colton, you--I don't know what to say to you.""Try saying 'yes' and see how it seems.It will be a change, anyhow.""No, no! I cannot; it is impossible."

"Oh, you make me weary!...Humph! What is it now? Any more 'reasons'?"'Yes." I faced him squarely."Yes," I said, "there is another reason, one that makes it impossible, utterly impossible, if nothing else did.When I tell you what it is you will understand what I mean and agree with me.Your daughter and I have been thrown together a great deal since she came to Denboro.Our meetings have not been of my seeking, nor of hers.Of late I have realized that, for my own sake, for the sake of my peace of mind, Imust not meet her.I must not be where she is.I--""Here! Stop!" he broke in sharply."What is this? Do you mean to tell me that you and Mabel--""It is not her fault.It is my own, entirely.Mr.Colton, I--""Stop, I tell you! Do you mean to tell me that you are--that you have been making love to my daughter?""No.Certainly not."

"Then what do you mean? That she has been making love to you?""Mr.Colton--"

"There! Don't act like the Wild Man of Borneo.Do you mean that you are in love with her?""Don't you see now why I cannot accept? I must go away.I am going.""Humph! That will do....Humph! Well, Paine--Bennett, Ishould say; it is hard to keep track of your names--you are rather--er--reckless, it seems to me.Mabel is our only child and her mother and I, naturally, had planned for her future...Have you told her of your--recklessness?""Of course not! I shall not see her again.I shall leave Denboro as soon as I can.She will never know.""Humph! I see...I see...Well, I don't know that there is anything for me to say.""There is not."

"I am sorry for you, of course."

"Thank you."

There was a sharp rap at the door.Doctor Quimby opened it and entered the room.He glanced from me to his patient and his face expressed sharp disapproval.

"You'd better go, Ros," he snapped."What is the matter with you?

Didn't I tell you not to excite him."

"I'M not excited," observed Colton, drily.

"Clear out this minute!" continued the angry doctor."Ros Paine, Ithought you had more sense."

"So did I," this from "Big Jim"."However, I am learning a lot these days.Good-by, Paine."I was at the door.

"Oh, by the way," he called after me, "let me make a suggestion.

If I were you, Roscoe, I wouldn't leave Denboro to-day.Not before to-morrow morning, at any rate."I did not understand him and I asked for no explanation.It was the first time he had addressed me by my Christian name, but it was not until afterward that I remembered that fact.

That afternoon I was alone in my haven of refuge, the boathouse.

Mother and I had had a long talk.I told her everything that had transpired.I kept back nothing, either of my acts or my feelings.

She said she was not sorry for what I had done.She was rather glad, than otherwise, that I had disclosed our secret to Mr.

Colton.

"He knows now, Roscoe," she said."And he was right, too.You and I have brooded over our sorrow and what we considered our disgrace much more than we should.He is right, Boy.We are innocent of any wrong-doing.""Yes, Mother," I answered, "I suppose we are.But we must keep the secret still.No one else in Denboro must know.You know what gossip there would be.There is enough now.I presume I am called a traitor and a blackguard by every person in the town.""Why no, you are not.That is the strange thing about it.Luther was up at the post-office this morning and no one seems to know of your sale of the land.Captain Dean has, apparently, kept the news to himself.Why do you suppose he does that?""I don't know.I don't know, unless it is because he--no, I can't understand it at all.However, they will know soon enough.By the way, I have never asked Dorinda where Lute was that noon--it seems ages ago--when he was missing at dinner time.And how did he know of Mr.Colton's illness?"She smiled."Poor Luther!" she said."He announced his intention of running away, you remember.As a matter of fact he met the Coltons' chauffeur in the motor car and the chauffeur invited him to go to Bayport with him.The chauffeur had an errand there.

Lute accepted--as he says, automobile rides don't come his way every day in the week--and they had trouble with the engine and did not get back until almost night.Then Miss Colton told him of her father's seizure and gave him the note for you.It was to you she turned in her trouble, Boy.She trusts you.Roscoe, I--I think she--""Don't say it, Mother.All that is ended.I am going to forget--if I can."

The rest of our conversation need not be written here.She said many things, such as fond mothers say to their sons and which the sons know too well they do not deserve.We discussed my leaving Denboro and she was so brave and self-sacrificing that my conscience smote me.

"I'll stay, Mother," I said."I can't leave you.I'll stay and fight it out with you.After all, it will not be much worse than it was before I went to the bank."But she would not hear of my staying.I had a friend in Chicago, a distant relative who knew our story.Perhaps he could help me to a start somewhere.She kissed me and bade me keep up my courage, and I left her.I ate a hurried meal, a combination of breakfast and dinner, and, dodging Lute, who was in the back yard waiting to question me concerning the Coltons, walked down to the boathouse.

There, in my armchair, I tried to think, to map out some sort of plan for my future.

It was a hopeless task.I was not interested in it.I did not much care what became of me.If it were not for Mother I should not have cared at all.Nevertheless, for her sake, I must try to plan, and I did.

同类推荐
  • 灵瑞禅师岩华集

    灵瑞禅师岩华集

    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。
  • The Story of a Mine

    The Story of a Mine

    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。
  • Messer Marco Polo

    Messer Marco Polo

    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。
  • 梅间诗话

    梅间诗话

    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。
  • 览冥训

    览冥训

    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
  • 小青梅有点甜:巨星竹马,宠入骨

    小青梅有点甜:巨星竹马,宠入骨

    【本文不虐狗只屠狗哈哈】华国最火的男团队长-夜星坤。可纯可魅可霸气。被亲妈坑的当明星,还被亲妈坑了个带着奶嘴的媳妇,怎么办?宠着?不存在的。“老公,我想亲亲”“不给。”“老公,抱抱。”“不抱。”谁想某夜某人对着小媳妇又亲又抱还举高高。十八岁那年樱小兔挽着一个陌生男子站在夜星坤面前,“我不喜欢你了。”夜星坤淡然一笑,把女孩揽入怀,抽出一张检查报告,“老婆,乖,孩子饿了。”樱小兔放弃反抗,这辈子就被他吃的死死的,谁让她那么爱他呢。诸不知,她才是那个被深爱的人。
  • 远在身边,满满的爱恋

    远在身边,满满的爱恋

    发现老公的偷情短信,更遇第三者的逼宫,身怀有孕却落得个离婚下场。一个是成熟稳重的外科医生,一个是年轻搞笑的学生,面对两人的追求,以及前夫的悔不当初,盼望复合,她究竟会选择谁呢?当她深陷其中时,她又发现她所爱的人有着另一重身份,有着一段刻骨铭心的故事。难道她只是一个替代品吗?--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 开场

    开场

    故事刚开始,其实有些偶然。这一年,正阳县门宣乡八代沟的小姑娘陈望姣,高考落榜了。时间是2012年6月初,夏天。那时,麦子已出齐了穗,豌豆的豆荚胀得鼓鼓的,放眼望去,山上到处都是深深浅浅的绿色。村里杏树上的果子结得一骨嘟儿一骨嘟儿的。母亲说,“麦子眼看就要黄了。等麦子收完再走不行吗?”但陈望姣却一天也等不及了。
  • 婚姻持久法则

    婚姻持久法则

    每个女人都想让老公疼爱自己一辈子;每个女人都想将老公的心牢牢地拴在自己身上,不离开半步;每个女人都想一辈子在幸福的婚姻中生活。然而,经营一桩婚姻又谈何容易!拥有一个和谐、快乐、幸福、美满的家庭,是世界上所有女人梦寐以求的愿望。对女人来说,一段幸福的婚姻,需要女人具备做一个好妻子的条件,并懂得幸福婚姻的法则。这些并不是女人天生就具备的,而需要后天的不断修炼才行。这也正是女人受宠的资本!所以,那些挣扎在婚姻中的女人,现在应该重新审视一下婚姻中的自己,一定要用欣赏的目光看待[2]自己的老公。因为只要心中有了爱与包容,那些所谓的缺点就可一笑置之。我们相信,《婚姻持久法则》能够帮助那些希望拥有幸福、美满婚姻的女人达成自己的心愿,并懂得婚姻的法则,懂得老公的心……
  • 超级丹帝重生都市

    超级丹帝重生都市

    呦,重生了,没事儿,我有修真仙法。呦,富二代想抢夺我家的地产,没事儿,我有仙法。呦,有术法高人想夺走天材地宝,没事儿,我有仙法。你说你权势滔天,没事儿,我一针要你跪下。你说你家财万贯,没事儿,我一粒丹药要你一亿。你说你有武道宗师,没事儿,我一掌把你拍进地底。你说你有神境至尊,没事儿,天地玄法皆听我令!你说你有天材地宝从不给人,没事儿,杀了你们,就是我的了!渡天劫重生之后的韩振,将以无敌的姿态,碾压众生。嗯嗯嗯,你说的很有道理!可是,我为什么要和你讲道理?
  • 登祝融峰

    登祝融峰

    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。
  • 冒险者传说:追猎与战斗

    冒险者传说:追猎与战斗

    遗忘的圣域里寻找失落的记忆,最后的天堂中,天使也会哭泣,在雨后天空的第一道彩虹,耀眼的光芒,会刺穿枯萎的幻想,梦想不是一种奢望,展开勇气与执著的翅膀,释放自己的力量与悲伤。
  • 它打开了你的脑子

    它打开了你的脑子

    一只僵尸带着一条鲸鱼,在这圣域掀起风浪。
  • 腹黑王爷的绝世医妃

    腹黑王爷的绝世医妃

    初见之时,她是落魄的云家小姐,他是病弱的皇家子弟。于是,不由叹道同是天涯沦落人的他,就这么从街头混混的手里救下了她。在这之后一次又一次的遇见,也就似上天早已注定好了一般。冥冥之中,这两个素昧平生的人渐渐地靠近对方最终披荆斩棘走到了一起。然而,正当所有人都以为故事到这里就已经结束了的时候,殊不知暗处正在酝酿着一个更大的阴谋。“王爷你这是什么意思?虽然我现在与原来有所不同,但是你这样翻脸不认人真的好吗?”女子的声音里充满了委屈,眼神也看向了所谓的王爷,而她口中所谓的王爷还是坐在原地,此时夜离的心里也在不由得想着,谁能来告诉他这到底是发生了什么?
  • 证道诸天

    证道诸天

    孟凡,一个收集癖穿越诸天大世界,求仙问道的故事!