On this particular day he was dismissed at six, and bent1 his steps homeward. He paused in front of a tall, shabby brick tenement2 house, unsightly in its surroundings, and abounding3 inside in unsavory smells, and took his way up the creaking staircase to a room on the fourth floor. He opened the door and entered.
The room was bare and cheerless in the extreme. The floor was uncarpeted, and if it had ever been painted it retained no vestiges4 of it. Two chairs, one broken, a small table which would have been dear at fifty cents, a low bedstead in one corner with a dirty covering—there were no sheets—and a small cot bed which Paul occupied—these were about all that could claim the name of furniture. There was, however, a wooden chest, originally a sailor’s, probably, which the telegraph boy used to hold the few extra clothes he possessed5.
Old Jerry was sitting on one side of the bedstead.
“Good evening, grandfather,” said Paul, cheerfully.
“It isn’t a good ev’ning,” answered the old man, querulously. “I—I haven’t made a cent today.”
“I thought you got ten cents by begging,” said Paul.
“I—I forgot that. I might have got more if you[19] hadn’t interfered6. You are very hard on your poor old grandfather, Paul.”
“I can’t bear to have you beg,” said Paul, his brows contracting. “I don’t want to have it said that I live with a beggar.”
“It isn’t my fault that I am very poor, Paul.”
“I—of course I am. What do you mean, Paul?” asked the old man, his manner indicating alarm. “Don’t you know I am very poor?”
“I know you say so.”
“Of course I am. Did any one ever tell you I wasn’t?”
He didn’t choose to say anything of the discovery he had made, through his friend Johnny Woods, of old Jerry’s deposit in the Bowery Savings9 Bank.
“Yes, yes, and it is more than I can afford. Four dollars a month is an awful price. I have often thought I must find a cheaper room.”
“You couldn’t easily find a poorer one,” said Paul, moodily10. “Well, grandfather, have you had your supper?”
“Yes, I have eaten a piece of bread.”
“That isn’t enough for you, grandfather. If you will come out with me I will get you some supper at the Jim Fisk restaurant.”
“No, no, Paul; I can’t afford it. It is sinful extravagance.”
“I can get you a cup of tea and some corn beef hash for eight cents. That isn’t much. Don’t you think you would enjoy a cup of tea?”
“Yes, Paul, it would do me good, if I could afford it.”
“But I will pay for it.”
“Oh, Paul, you will die in the poorhouse if you[20] are so wasteful11. The money that you have spent at that eating house would bring joy to the heart of your old grandfather.”
“Look here,” said Paul, who could not bring his mind to calling the old man grandfather, as he had often done before. “It’s no use talking. You may starve yourself if you want to, but I don’t mean to. I’m going out to supper now. If you go with me I’ll pay for your supper, and it shan’t cost you a cent. I am sure you would like a good cup of tea.”
For an instant an expression of longing12 crept over the face of the old miser13, but it was soon succeeded by a look of cunning and greed.
“It would cost eight cents, wouldn’t it, Paul?” he said.
“Yes, but that isn’t much. If you’d like a plate of roast beef and a cup of tea, I’ll buy it for you. They will cost only eleven cents. So put on your hat, and we will go out together.”
“Wait a minute, Paul,” said the old man. “Would you mind giving me the money instead—eleven cents?”
“No, I don’t mind, but I would rather you would go out with me. How do you expect to keep soul and body together without anything but dry bread and cold water?”
“I see it’s no use talking to you,” said Paul, in a vexed15 tone. “Well, if you prefer to have me give you the money, here it is.”
Old Jerry chuckled17, and a smile crept over his wrinkled features, as he eagerly clutched the coins.
“Good boy, Paul!” he said. “That’s right, to be kind to your poor old grandfather.”
[21]
“Well, I’m going out to supper,” said Paul, abruptly18, for it was painful to him to witness this evidence of the old man’s infatuation. “I’ll be back soon.
“That’s a guardian19 to be proud of,” he said, bitterly, as he made his way carefully down the rickety staircase. “Who can blame me for not liking20 him? I don’t believe I can make up my mind to call him grandfather again. After all, why should I? He is no relation of mine, and I am glad of it.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
tenement
|
|
| n.公寓；房屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
abounding
|
|
| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
vestiges
|
|
| 残余部分( vestige的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 痕迹； 毫不 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
interfered
|
|
| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
pointedly
|
|
| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
savings
|
|
| n.存款，储蓄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
moodily
|
|
| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
wasteful
|
|
| adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
miser
|
|
| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
whined
|
|
| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
vexed
|
|
| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
dime
|
|
| n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
guardian
|
|
| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
liking
|
|
| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |