CHAPTER II. THEY MOVE TO THE CITY.

THE kind neighbour who loved the Bible, and had read it to the poor widow, came daily to read more of the ‘good words.’ The clergyman too came to visit her in her sorrow, and explained to her the words that had soothed¹ her even while she understood them but imperfectly. Mrs Leddam felt how sinful she had been in living all her life without a thought of[8] God, and now in her affliction she turned to Him whom she had so long forgotten.

The good clergyman spoke² to her of Jesus, the Saviour³ of sinners, through whom alone we can receive pardon and peace; and the poor widow prayed to this blessed Saviour as she had never prayed before, and He heard her and comforted her heart; for He has said, ‘Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’

As John was too young to manage the boat, it was sold with the nets and fishing tackle, and the widow with her five children removed to the neighbouring town, where she hoped to find employment in sewing. She hired a small house in the outskirts⁴ of the town; and there, with her little flock around her, she felt like a desolate⁵ stranger.

How little do those children who are blessed with many comforts know of the trials of the poor and fatherless!

[9]But the widow had now a source of comfort in her trials. John daily read some of the ‘good words’ to his mother. They rejoiced in God’s many promises to the widow and the fatherless, and trusted that He would provide. The town was situated⁶ on the bank of a broad river, and the widow’s cottage stood not far from the water. Near it stood a small house, which one would have said had been built by a sailor; and he would have said rightly, for Captain Sam had made his dwelling⁷ as much like the vessel⁸ in which he had spent his best days as he could. In front of the house was a small porch, shaded by a sail; and here the old man passed the most of his time, smoking his pipe. The poor neighbours thought that Captain Sam was a rich man, because he could afford to do nothing.

Within sight of the captain’s house was[10] a grocer’s shop, where every morning numbers of poor children came to procure⁹ supplies for the day. Among them the captain observed John and Henry, as having clean faces, and as being neatly¹⁰ dressed. John’s attention had been attracted by the captain’s house. He admired the bright colour with which it was painted, and had conceived a great respect for its happy owner; for John, like the rest, thought it must be very pleasant to be idle,—a great mistake, as any one who will try it may soon discover. Hearing the shopkeeper call him captain, he asked, ‘Is he a real captain, sir?’

‘How do I know, youngster?’ replied the man. ‘You had better ask him that yourself.’

The next day, observing his mother weeping, John said, ‘Mother, can’t I get work?’

[11]She laid her hand on his head as she replied, ‘What could you do, my son?’

‘A heap of things,’ he said earnestly. ‘I can help to row, and mend the nets.’

‘But we are now far away from the fishing. We are in a strange place, full of people, where, in the midst of plenty, we are likely to come to want; for this is the last money I have in the world.’

‘Oh, mother!’ said the terrified boy, ‘will they let us starve? won’t some of the rich people help you?’

‘I am going in search of work,’ replied his mother. ‘Take care of your brother and sisters until I return.’

‘May I walk as far as the corner, mother?’

Giving him permission to do so, Mrs Leddam left the house.

Now John had a plan of his own, but he was puzzled to know how to bring it[12] about. He had often accompanied his father to the vessels¹¹ in the bay, and had a strong partiality for sailors. He thought if he could but make a friend of this rich captain, who lived in the fine house, how happy he should be. So, after thinking it over, he resolved to see the captain, and tell him how poor his mother was. Bidding Henry watch his baby sister, he set out for the corner; but as he walked on he felt his courage become fainter, until his young heart almost failed.

But we will turn to a new chapter to relate his introduction to the captain.

1 soothed   

v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦

参考例句：

• The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
• The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 saviour   

n.拯救者，救星

参考例句：

• I saw myself as the saviour of my country.我幻想自己为国家的救星。
• The people clearly saw her as their saviour.人们显然把她看成了救星。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

6 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

7 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

8 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

9 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

10 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

11 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》