“Not very well.”
“Let’s come.” And when Johnny descended18, the long man, with one more glance about the street, went up three steps at a time and laid the paint on rapidly, many feet at a sweep. He came down and shifted the steps very easily with one hand—and they were heavy steps—went up again, and in three minutes carried the paint to the very end of the cornice. Then he came down, with a sheepish smile at Johnny’s thanks, and shambled as far as next door, where he let himself in with a latch-key. And on Friday, at dinner-time, perceiving Johnny’s progress from his window on the upper floor—he was a lodger19, it seemed—he came stealthily down and gave the cornice another coat.
On Saturday morning the shop was opened in form, though Johnny’s painting was not finished till dusk. Very little happened. A few children stopped on their way, and stared in at the door. The first customer was a boy from among these, who came in to beg a piece of string; and infested20 Harbour Lane for the rest of the day, swinging a dead rat on the end of it. Hours passed, and Nan May’s spirits fell steadily21. A few pounds, a very few—they could scarce be made to last p. 101three weeks—was all her reserve, and most of her scanty22 stock was perishable23. If it spoiled it could never be replaced, and unless people bought it, spoil it must. What more could she do? Industry, determination, and all the rest were well enough, but when all was said and done, nothing could make people come and buy.
Near noon the second customer came—a little girl this time. She wanted a bottle of ink for a halfpenny. There were half-a dozen little bottles of ink in a row in the window; but the price was a penny, so the little girl went away. It was a dull dinner that day. Bessy invented ingenious conjectures24 to account for the lack of trade, and prophesied25 a change in the afternoon, or the evening, or perhaps next week, or at latest the week after. Her mother could not understand. Customers came to other shops; why not to this one?
She had seen nothing of Uncle Isaac since she had come to Harbour Lane, though he knew where to find her. She had hoped he would lend a hand with the painting, or with the display of the stock; but no doubt he had been too busy. True, Johnny thought he had seen him once from the steps, some way down the street, but that must have been a mistake; for Uncle Isaac would not have come so near them without calling, nor would he have bolted instantly round the nearest p. 102corner at sight of the boy and his work, as Johnny had fancied he had.
The afternoon began no better than the morning. Nobody came but a child, who asked for sixpenn’orth of coppers26, till about four. Then a hurried woman demanded a penn’orth of mixed pickles27 in a saucer, and grumbled28 at the quantity. She wouldn’t come into the shop again, at anyrate; a threat so discomposing (for was not the woman the first paying customer?) that for hours Nan May could not forgive herself for her illiberality29; though indeed she gained but a weak fraction of a farthing by the transaction.
Half an hour more went, and then there came a truly noble customer. He looked like a bricklayer, and he was far from sober: so far, indeed, that Johnny, on the steps, spying the mazy sinuosity of his approach, got a step lower and made ready to jump, in case of accidents. But the bricklayer, conscious of the presence of many ladders, steered30 wide into the roadway, and there stopped, fascinated by the brilliancy before him. Some swaying moments of consideration resolved him that this was a shop: and after many steps up the curb31, and as many back in the gutter32, he picked a labyrinthine33 path among the myriad34 ladders, narrowly missing the real one as he went, shouldered against the wet door-post, and stumbled toward the counter. Here he regarded a p. 103bladder of lard with thoughtful severity, till Nan May timorously35 asked what he wanted.
“Shumm for kidsh,” he replied sternly, to the lard. “Shummforkidsh.” For some moments his scowl36 deepened; then he raised his hand and pointed37. “W—wha’sha’?” he demanded.
“Lard.”
“Tharr’ll do.” He plunged38 his hand into his trousers pocket. “Tharr’ll do. ’Ow mush?”
“Sevenpence halfpenny a pound.”
“Orrigh’? Gi’s ’oldovit.” He reached an unsteady hand, imperilling bottles; but Nan May was quicker, and took the bladder of lard from its perch4.
“How much?” she asked.
“’Ow much? Thash wha’ I wan’ know. You give it ’ere, go on.” His voice rose disputatively, and he fell on the bladder of lard with both hands. “’Ow mush?”
Nan reflected that it weighed more than three pounds, and that she had paid Mr. Dunkin eighteenpence for it. “Two shillings,” she said.
“Two shillin’. Orrigh’,” and instantly what remained of the new customer’s week’s wages was scattered39 about the counter. Mrs. May took two shillings and returned the rest; which with some difficulty was thrust back into the pocket. And the new customer, after looking narrowly about him in search of his purchase, and at last p. 104discovering it under his arm, sallied forth40 with a wipe against the other door-post, and continued his winding41 way: a solemn and portentous42 bricklayer, with red paint on his shoulders and whiskers, and a bladder of lard that slipped sometimes forward and sometimes backward from his embrace, and was a deal of trouble to pick up again.
Here was a profit of sixpence at a stroke, unlikely as the chance was to recur43; and it raised Nan’s spirits, unreasonably44 enough. Still, the bricklayer brought luck of a sort. For there were three more customers within the next hour, two bringing a halfpenny and one a penny. And in the evening five or six came, one spending as much as fourpence. This was better, perhaps, but poor enough. At ten that night Nan May reckoned her profit for the day at ninepence farthing, including the bricklayer’s sixpence; and she was sick with waiting and faint with fear. At half-past ten Uncle Isaac turned up.
“Ah hum,” he said; “bin paintin’. Might ’a’ laid it on a bit evener. There’s right ways o’ layin’ on paint, an’ there’s wrong ways, an’ one way ain’t the same as the other.” He raised his finger at Johnny instructively. “Far from it and contrairy, there’s a great difference.” Uncle Isaac paused, and no further amplification45 of his proposition occurring to him, he turned to Mrs. May. “’Ow’s trade?” he asked.
p. 105Nan May shook her head sadly. “Very bad, uncle,” she said. “Hardly any at all.” And she felt nearer crying than ever since the funeral.
“Ah,” said Uncle Isaac, sitting on a packing case—empty, but intended to look full; “ah, what you want’s Enterprise. Enterprise; that’s what you want. What is it as stimilates trade an’ encourages prosperity to—to the latest improvements? Enterprise. Why is commercial opulentness took—at least, wafted46—commercial opulentness wafted round the ’ole world consekince o’ what? Consekince o’ Enterprise.” Uncle Isaac tapped the counter with his forefinger47 and gazed solemnly in Nan May’s troubled face. “Consekince o’ Enterprise,” he repeated slowly, with another tap. Then he added briskly, with a glance at the inner door: “’Adjer supper?”
“No, uncle,” Nan answered. “I never thought of it. But, now you’re here, p’raps you’ll have a bit with us?”
“Ah—don’t mind if I do,” Uncle Isaac responded cheerfully. “That looks a nice little bit o’ bacon. Now a rasher auf that, an’ a hegg—got a hegg? O yus.” He saw a dozen in a basin. “A rasher auf that, an’ a hegg or two, ’ud be just the thing, with a drop o’ beer, wouldn’t it?”
Johnny fetched the beer, and Uncle Isaac had two rashers and four eggs; and he finished with a good solid p. 106piece of bread, and the first slice—a large one—out of the Dutch cheese from the counter. Nan May made no more than a pretence48 at eating a little bread and cheese.
When at last the jug49 was empty, and Uncle Isaac was full, he leaned back in his chair, and for some minutes exercised his lips in strange workings and twistings, with many incidental clicks and sucks and fizzes, while he benignantly contemplated50 the angle of the ceiling. When at last the display flagged, he brought his gaze gradually lower, till it rested on the diminished piece of bacon. “None so bad, that bacon,” he observed, putting his head aside with a critical regard. “Though p’raps rayther more of a breakfast specie than a supper.” He laid his head to the other side, as one anxious to be impartial51. “Yus,” he went on thoughtfully, “more of a breakfast specie, as you might say.” Then after a pause, he added, with the air of one announcing a brilliant notion:—“I b’lieve—yus, I do b’lieve I’ll try a bit for breakfast to-morrer mornin’!”
“If you like, uncle,” Nan answered, a little faintly. “But—but-” timidly—“I was thinking p’raps it’ll make it look rather small to—to put on the counter.”
“So it would—so it would,” Uncle Isaac admitted frankly52; and indeed the remaining piece was scarce of four rashers’ capacity. “Pity to cut it, as you say, Nan. Thanks—I’ll just wrop it up as it is. It’ll come in for p. 107Monday too; an’ that large bit o’ streaky’ll look a deal more nobler on the counter.”
Uncle Isaac’s visit swept away the day’s profits and a trifle more. But certainly, Uncle Isaac must not be offended now that things looked so gloomy ahead.
Bessy lay, and strained her wits far into the night, inventing comfortable theories and assurances, and exchanging them with her mother for others as hopeful. But in the morning each pillow had its wet spot.
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1
lighterman
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| n.驳船夫 | |
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2
subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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3
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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4
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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6
cynosure
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| n.焦点 | |
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7
wayfaring
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| adj.旅行的n.徒步旅行 | |
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8
jibes
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| n.与…一致( jibe的名词复数 )；（与…）相符；相匹配v.与…一致( jibe的第三人称单数 )；（与…）相符；相匹配 | |
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9
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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10
facetious
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| adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的 | |
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11
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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12
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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13
inspections
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| n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅 | |
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14
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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16
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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17
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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18
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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19
lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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20
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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21
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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22
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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23
perishable
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| adj.（尤指食物）易腐的，易坏的 | |
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24
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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25
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
coppers
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| 铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币 | |
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27
pickles
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| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
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28
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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29
illiberality
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| n.吝啬，小气 | |
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30
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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31
curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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32
gutter
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| n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟 | |
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33
labyrinthine
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| adj.如迷宫的；复杂的 | |
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34
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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35
timorously
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| adv.胆怯地，羞怯地 | |
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36
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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37
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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38
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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39
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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40
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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41
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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42
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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43
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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44
unreasonably
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| adv. 不合理地 | |
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45
amplification
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| n.扩大，发挥 | |
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46
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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48
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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49
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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50
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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51
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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52
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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