Chapter 20 An Invitation To Dinner

 Andy reached his boarding house at four o'clock.

 

"What brings you home so early, Mr. Grant?" asked Warren, whose door was open. "Is business poor?"

 

"It is with me," answered Andy; "I am discharged."

 

"You don't tell me so! How did it happen?"

 

"My employer is out West, and the head salesman has discharged me and engaged his nephew in my place."

 

"It's a shame. What shall you do about it?"

 

"Wait till Mr. Flint gets home."

 

"I hope you won't leave us."

 

"No, I think not."

 

"Of course you will miss your salary. I wish I could lend you some money, but I have not heard from the article I sent to the _Century_. If accepted, they will send me a large check."

 

"Thank you, Mr. Warren. I shall be able to get along for the present."

 

Soon Sam Perkins arrived, with a new and gorgeous necktie.

 

"Glad to see you, Andy," he said. "Won't you go with me to the Star Theater this evening?"

 

"I can't, Sam; I have no money to spare."

 

"I thought you got a good salary?"

 

"Just at present I have none at all. I have been discharged."

 

"I am sorry for that. I wish there was a vacancy¹ in our place; I should like to get you in there."

 

"Thank you. That is quite friendly."

 

Andy was about to go down to supper when Eva, the servant, came upstairs.

 

"There's a messenger boy downstairs wants to see you, Mr. Grant," she said.

 

In some surprise Andy went downstairs to see the messenger. He was a short boy of fourteen, Tom Keegan by name.

 

"I have a letter for Andrew Grant," he said.

 

"Give it to me; I am Andrew Grant. Here's a dime²."

 

"Thank you," said the boy in a tone of satisfaction, for his weekly income was small.

 

Andy opened the letter. It was written on fashionable note paper. At the top of the paper was a monogram³ formed of the letters H and M.

 

Here is the letter:

 

"MY DEAR MR. GRANT: I shall be glad to have you take dinner with me at seven o'clock. I should have given you earlier notice, but supposed you would not be back from the store till six o'clock. You will meet my son Roy, who is a year or two younger than yourself, and my brother, John Crawford. Both will be glad to see you. Yours sincerely,

 

"HENRIETTA MASON."

 

 

"What is it, Andy?" asked Sam.

 

"You can read the note."

 

"By George, Andy, you are getting into fashionable society! Couldn't you take me along, too?"

 

"I am afraid I am not well enough acquainted to take such a liberty."

 

"I'll tell you what I'll do for you. I'll lend you my best necktie."

 

Sam produced a gorgeous red tie, which he held up admiringly.

 

"Thank you, Sam," said Andy, "but I think that won't suit me as well as you."

 

"What are you going to wear?"

 

Andy took from the bureau drawer a plain black tie.

 

"That!" exclaimed Sam, disgusted. "That is awfully⁴ plain."

 

"It suits my taste."

 

"Excuse me, Andy, but I don't think you've got any taste."

 

Andy laughed good-naturedly.

 

"Certainly my taste differs from yours," he said.

 

"I suppose you'll have a fine layout. I'd like to go to a fashionable dinner myself."

 

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

 

"Just mention that you've got a friend--a stylish⁵ young man whom they'd like to meet. That may bring me an invitation next time."

 

Andy laughed.

 

"So far as I am concerned, Sam," he said, "I wish you were going. But you have an engagement at the Star Theater."

 

"So I have. I almost forgot."

 

Andy had very little time for preparation, but made what haste he could, and just as the public clocks struck seven he rang the bell of Mrs. Mason's house.

 

"I am glad you received my invitation in time," said the lady.

 

"So am I," returned Andy; "nothing could have been more welcome."

 

Just then Roy and her brother, Mr. Crawford, entered.

 

Roy was a very pleasant-looking boy, with dark-brown hair and a dark complexion⁶. He was perhaps two inches shorter than Andy.

 

"This is Roy," said Mrs. Mason.

 

"I am glad to see you," said Roy, offering his hand.

 

Andy felt that he should like his new boy friend.

 

Next he was introduced to Mr. Crawford, a stout⁷ gentleman of perhaps forty, looking very much like his sister.

 

"I have heard my sister speak of you so often that I am glad to meet you, Andy," he said, affably.

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

"John, lead the way to the dining room," said his sister.

 

So they filed downstairs, and took their seats at the table.

 

Mr. Crawford sat at the head, opposite his sister, while Roy and Andy occupied the sides.

 

When dinner was nearly over, Mr. Crawford remarked:

 

"I believe, Andy, you are in the employ of Mr. Flint, the jeweler."

 

"I was," answered Andy.

 

"Surely you have not left him?" exclaimed Mrs. Mason.

 

"No, I have been discharged."

 

"I am surprised to hear it. I thought you were a favorite with Mr. Flint."

 

"So I was. He does not know I have been discharged."

 

"You puzzle me."

 

"Mr. Flint is in Colorado, and Mr. Rich, his head salesman, has taken the opportunity to discharge me, and put his nephew in my place."

 

"But surely he would not venture to do this without some pretext⁸."

 

"He claims that I took a watch from the case, and pawned⁹ it."

 

"Of course that is untrue."

 

"Yes, and I am in a position to prove it when Mr. Flint returns."

 

Andy told the story of his visit to the pawn¹⁰ shop, and the discovery he made there.

 

"This is a shameful¹¹ plot!" said Mrs. Mason, indignantly. "I am afraid you are in trouble, deprived of your income."

 

"Fortunately I have no board to pay. That is paid by the gentleman who procured¹² me the situation."

 

Presently they went upstairs.

 

"Roy," said his mother, "we will excuse you for an hour while you are getting your Latin lesson."

 

"I don't like Latin, mother," grumbled¹³ Roy, "at least not to-night. I am afraid I can't fix my thoughts on the lesson. I want to be with Andy."

 

"What are you studying in Latin, Roy?" asked Andy.

 

"_Caesar_."

 

"If you wish, I will help you."

 

"Can you?" asked Roy, joyfully¹⁴.

 

"I have been through _Caesar_, and _Virgil_, also. When I left the academy I was studying _Cicero_."

 

"Roy will be glad of your help, Andy," said his mother. "I did not know you were such a scholar."

 

"I was getting ready for college, but my father's losses required me to break off."

 

Andy proved such an efficient helper that Roy found himself at leisure in half an hour.

 

In the meantime Mrs. Mason asked her brother:

 

"What do you think of my protege?"

 

"He seems a manly¹⁵ and attractive boy."

 

"Can't you find something for him to do?"

 

"I will talk with him presently, and then decide." 

1 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

2 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

3 monogram   

n.字母组合

参考例句：

• There was a monogram in the corner in which were the initials"R.K.B.".原来手帕角上有个图案，其中包含着RKB三个字母。
• When we get married I don't have to change the monogram on my luggage.当我们结婚后，我连皮箱上的字母也不用改。

4 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

5 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

6 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

8 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

9 pawned   

v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• He pawned his gold watch to pay the rent. 他抵当了金表用以交租。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has redeemed her pawned jewellery. 她赎回了当掉的珠宝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

11 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

12 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

13 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

14 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

15 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。