CHAPTER XIII. MR. MULLINS, THE BOOKKEEPER.

 Chester felt that it was necessary to be on his guard. The bookkeeper was already his enemy. There were two causes for this. First, Mr. Mullins was naturally of an ugly disposition¹, and, secondly², he was disappointed in not securing the situation for his cousin.

 

At noon the latter made his appearance. He was a thin, dark-complexioned boy, with curious-looking eyes that somehow inspired distrust.

 

He walked up to the desk where the book keeper was writing.

 

"Good-morning, Cousin David," he said.

 

"Good-morning, Felix. Sit down for a few minutes, and I will take you out to lunch."

 

"All right!" answered Felix. "Who's that boy?" he inquired, in a low voice.

 

"The new office boy. Wait till we go out, and I will tell you about it."

 

In five minutes David Mullins put on his hat and coat and went out with his cousin.

 

"Stay here and mind the office," he said to Chester, "and if anybody comes in, keep them, if possible. If any tenant³ comes to pay money, take it and give a receipt."

 

"All right, sir."

 

When they were in the street, Felix asked:

 

"Where did you pick up the boy? Why didn't I get the place?"

 

"You must ask Mr. Fairchild that. He engaged him without consulting me."

 

"What sort of a boy is he?"

 

"A country gawky. He knows nothing of the city."

 

"Is he a friend of Mr. Fairchild?"

 

"Fairchild never met him before. Some beggarly artist interceded⁴ for him."

 

"It is too bad I can't be in the office. It would be so nice to be in the same place with you."

 

"I did my best, but Fairchild didn't seem to fancy you. I think he took a prejudice against you on account of your smoking cigarettes. He must have seen you with one."

 

"Does the new boy smoke cigarettes?"

 

"I don't know. That gives me an idea. You had better get intimate with him and offer him cigarettes. He doesn't know Mr. Fairchild's prejudice, and may fall into the trap."

 

"How can I get acquainted with him?"

 

"I'll see to that. I shall be sending him out on an errand presently, and you can offer to go with him."

 

"That'll do. But you must buy me a package of cigarettes."

 

"Very well. My plan is to have the boy offend Mr. Fairchild's prejudices, and that may make a vacancy⁵ for you. By the way, never let him see you smoking."

 

"I won't, but as he is not about, I'll smoke a cigarette now."

 

"Better wait till after lunch."

 

About ten minutes after Mr. Mullins left the office, a man of forty—evidently a mechanic—entered.

 

"Is the bookkeeper in?" he asked.

 

"He's gone to lunch."

 

"He sent me a bill for this month's rent, which I have already paid."

 

"Please give me your name."

 

"James Long."

 

"And where do you live?"

 

The address was given—a house on East Twentieth Street.

 

"Haven't you the receipt?" asked Chester.

 

"No."

 

"Didn't Mr. Mullins give you one?"

 

"Yes; but I carelessly left it on the table. I suppose he found it and kept the money," he added, bitterly.

 

"But that would be a mean thing to do," said Chester, startled.

 

"Nothing is too mean for Mullins," said Long. "He's a hard man and a tricky⁶ one."

 

"He will come in soon if you can wait."

 

"I can't. I am at work, and this is my noon hour."

 

"I will tell him what you say——"

 

"Perhaps I may have a chance to call in this afternoon. I feel worried about this matter, for, although it is only ten dollars, that is a good deal to a man with a family, and earning only twelve dollars a week."

 

Presently Mr. Mullins returned.

 

"Has anybody been in?" he asked.

 

"Yes," answered Chester. "A man named James Long."

 

A curious expression came into the bookkeeper's eye.

 

"Well, did he pay his rent?"

 

"No; he said he had paid it already."

 

"Oh, he did, did he?" sneered⁷ the bookkeeper. "In that case, of course he has the receipt."

 

"No; he said he had left it here on the table, and did not think of it till some time afterwards."

 

"A likely story. He must think I am a fool. Even a boy like you can see through that."

 

"He seemed to me like an honest man."

 

"Oh, well, you are from the country, and could not be expected to know. We have some sharp swindlers in New York."

 

Chester was quite of that opinion, but he was beginning to think that the description would apply better to David Mullins than to James Long.

 

"By the way, Chester," said Mr. Mullins, with unusual blandness⁸, "this is my cousin, Felix Gordon."

 

"Glad to meet you," said Felix, with an artificial smile.

 

Chester took the extended hand. He was not especially drawn⁹ to Felix, but felt that it behooved¹⁰ him to be polite.

 

"You boys must be somewhere near the same age," said the bookkeeper. "I will give you a chance to become acquainted. Chester, I want you to go to number four seventy-one Bleecker Street. I suppose you don't know where it is?"

 

"No, sir."

 

"Felix, go with him and show him the way."

 

Chester was quite amazed at this unusual and unexpected kindness on the part of a man whom he had regarded as an enemy. Was it possible that he had misjudged him?

 

The two boys went out together.

 

When they were fairly in the street, Felix produced his package of cigarettes.

 

"Have one?" he asked.

 

"No, thank you; I don't smoke."

 

"Don't smoke!" repeated Felix, in apparent amusement. "You don't mean that?"

 

"I never smoked a cigarette in my life."

 

"Then it's high time you learned. All boys smoke in the city."

 

"I don't think I should like it."

 

"Oh, nonsense! Just try one for my sake."

 

"Thank you, Felix. You are very kind, but I promised mother I wouldn't smoke."

 

"Your mother lives in the country, doesn't she?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then she won't know it."

 

"That will make no difference. I made the promise, and I mean to keep it," said Chester, firmly.

 

"Oh, well, suit yourself. What a muff he is!" thought Felix. "However, he'll soon break over his virtuous¹¹ resolutions. Do you know," he continued, changing the subject, "that you have got the situation I was after?"

 

"I think I heard Mr. Mullins say something about it. I am sorry if I have stood in your way."

 

"Oh, if it hadn't been you it would have been some other boy. How do you think you shall like the city?"

 

"Very much, I think."

 

"What pay do you get?"

 

"Five dollars a week."

 

"You can't live on that."

 

"I will try to."

 

"Of course, it is different with me. I should have lived at home. You'll have to run into debt."

 

"I will try not to."

 

"Where do you live?"

 

"I am staying with a friend—Mr. Conrad, an artist—just now, but I shall soon get a boarding place."

 

"I live on Eighty-sixth Street—in a flat. My father is in the custom house."

 

"How long has your cousin—Mr. Mullins—been in this office?"

 

"About five years. He's awfully¹² smart, cousin David is. It's he that runs the business. Mr. Fairchild is no sort of a business man."

 

Chester wondered how, under the circumstances, Mr. Mullins should not have influence enough to secure the situation of office boy for Felix.

 

They soon reached Bleecker Street. Chester took notice of the way in order that he might know it again. He was sharp and observing, and meant to qualify himself for his position as soon as possible.

 

At five o'clock the office was vacated. Chester remained to sweep up. A piece of paper on the floor attracted his attention. He picked it up and found, to his surprise, that it was James Long's missing receipt. It was on the floor of the clothes closet, and he judged that it had dropped from the bookkeeper's pocket.

 

What should he do with it?

1 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

2 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

3 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

4 interceded   

v.斡旋，调解( intercede的过去式和过去分词 )；说情

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• He interceded with the teacher for me. 他为我向老师求情。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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。

6 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

7 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

8 blandness   

n.温柔，爽快

参考例句：

• Blandness in the basic politics of the media became standard. 传播媒介在基本政治问题上通常采取温和的态度。 来自辞典例句
• Those people who predicted an exercise in bureaucratic blandness were confounded. 那些认为这一系列政治活动将会冠冕堂皇的走过场的人是糊涂和愚蠢的。 来自互联网

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

10 behooved   

v.适宜( behoove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For whose behooved is this done. 做这件事为了谁？ 来自辞典例句
• He spoke courteously, as it behooved. 他应该谦恭地说话。 来自互联网

11 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

12 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。