CHAPTER III. GRIPP'S CLOTHING STORE.

 Nathan Gripp's clothing store was located about a quarter of a mile from the City Hall, on Chatham street. Not many customers from Fifth avenue owned him as their tailor, and he had no reputation up town. His prices were undeniably low, though his clothes were dear enough in the end.

 

His patrons were in general from the rural districts, or city residents of easy tastes and limited means.

 

The interior of the store was ill-lighted, and looked like a dark cavern¹. But nearly half the stock was displayed at the door, or on the sidewalk, Mr. Gripp himself, or his leading salesman, standing² in the door-way with keen, black eyes, trying to select from the moving crowds possible customers.

 

On the whole Gripp was making money. He sold his clothes cheap, but they cost him little. He paid the lowest prices for work, and whenever told that his wages would not keep body and soul together, he simply remarked:

 

"That's nothing to me, my good woman. If you don't like the pay, leave the work for somebody else."

 

[Pg 25]

 

But unfortunately those who worked for Mr. Gripp could not afford to leave the work for somebody else. Half wages were better than none, and they patiently kept on wearing out their strength that Nathan might wax rich, and live in good style up town.

 

Mr. Gripp himself was standing in the door-way when Dan, with the bundle of vests under his arm, stopped in front of the store. Mr. Gripp was a little doubtful whether our hero wished to become a customer, but a glance at the bundle dispelled³ his uncertainty⁴, and revealed the nature of his errand.

 

"I've brought home half a dozen vests," said Dan.

 

"Who from?" asked Gripp, abruptly⁵, for he never lavished⁶ any of the suavity⁷, which was a valuable part of his stock in trade, on his work people.

 

"Mrs. Mordaunt."

 

"Take them into the store. Here, Samuel, take the boy's bundle, and see if the work is well done."

 

It was on the tip of Dan's tongue to resent the doubt which these words implied, but he prudently⁸ remained silent.

 

The clerk, a callow youth, with long tow-colored locks, made sleek⁹ with bear's grease, stopped picking his teeth, and motioned to Dan to come forward.

 

"Here, young feller," he said, "hand over your bundle."

 

"There it is, young feller!" retorted Dan.

 

[Pg 26]

 

The clerk surveyed the boy with a look of disapproval¹⁰ in his fishy¹¹ eyes.

 

"No impudence¹², young feller!" he said.

 

"Where's the impudence?" demanded Dan. "I don't see it."

 

"Didn't you call me a young feller?"

 

"You've called me one twice, but I ain't at all particular. I'd just as lief call you an old feller," said Dan, affably.

 

"Look here, young chap, I don't like your manners," said the clerk, with an irritating consciousness that he was getting the worst of the verbal encounter.

 

"I'm sorry for that," answered Dan, "because they're the best I've got."

 

"Did you make these vests yourself?" asked the salesman, with a feeble attempt at humor.

 

"Yes," was Dan's unexpected rejoinder. "That's the way I amuse my leisure hours."

 

"Humph!" muttered the tallow-faced young man, "I'll take a look at them."

 

He opened the bundle, and examined the vests with an evident desire to find something wrong.

 

He couldn't find any defect, but that didn't prevent his saying:

 

"They ain't over-well made."

 

[Pg 27]

 

"Well, they won't be over-well paid," retorted Dan. "So we're even."

 

"I don't know if we ought to pay for them at all."

 

"Honesty is the best policy, young feller," said Dan.

 

"No more of your impudence!" said the clerk, sharply. "Wait here a minute till I speak to Mr. Gripp."

 

He kept Dan before the counter, and approached the proprietor¹³.

 

"Well, what is it, Samuel?" asked Mr. Gripp, stroking his jet-black whiskers. "Are the vests all right?"

 

"Pretty well, sir, but the boy is impudent¹⁴."

 

"Ha! how is that?"

 

"He keeps calling me 'young feller.'"

 

"Anything more?"

 

"He don't seem to have any respect for me—or you," he added, shrewdly.

 

Nathan Gripp frowned. He cared very little about his clerk, but he resented any want of respect to himself. He felt that the balance at his bankers was large enough to insure him a high degree of consideration from his work-people at least.

 

"How many vests are there?" he asked.

 

"Half a dozen."

 

"And the boy wants his pay, I suppose."

 

[Pg 28]

 

"He hasn't asked for it, but he will. They always do."

 

"Tell him we only pay when a full dozen are finished and brought in. We'll credit him, or his mother, with these."

 

"That'll pay them off," thought the astute¹⁵ clothing merchant.

 

Samuel received this order with inward satisfaction, and went back smiling.

 

"Well, young feller," said he, "it's all right. The vests ain't over-well done, but we'll keep 'em. Now you can go."

 

But Dan did not move.

 

"It seems to me you've forgotten something," he said.

 

"What's that?"

 

"You haven't paid me for the work."

 

"It's all right. We'll pay when the next half dozen are brought in. Will you take 'em now?"

 

Dan was disagreeably surprised. This was entirely¹⁶ out of the usual course, and he knew very well that the delay would be a great inconvenience.

 

"We've always been paid when we brought in work," he said.

 

"We've changed our rule," said the clerk, nonchalantly. "We only pay when a full dozen are brought in."

 

[Pg 29]

 

"What difference does it make to you? We need the money, and can't wait."

 

"It's my orders, young feller. It's what Mr. Gripp just told me."

 

"Then I'll speak to him," said Dan, promptly¹⁷.

 

"Just as you like."

 

Dan approached the proprietor of the establishment.

 

"Mr. Gripp," said he, "I've just brought in half a dozen vests, but your clerk here won't pay me for them."

 

"You will get your pay, young man, when you bring in another half dozen."

 

"But, Mr. Gripp, we need the money. We haven't got a big bank account. Our rent is due to-morrow."

 

"Is it, indeed? I don't see how that concerns me."

 

"Will you pay me to-night as a favor?" pleaded Dan, humbling¹⁸ himself for his mother's sake.

 

"I can't break over my rule," said Nathan Gripp. "Besides, Samuel says the work isn't very well done."

 

"Then he lies!" exclaimed Dan, provoked.

 

"Do you hear that, Mr. Gripp?" ejaculated the angry Samuel, his tallowy complexion¹⁹ putting on a faint flush. "Didn't I tell you he was impudent?"

 

Nathan Gripp's small black eyes snapped viciously.

 

"Boy," said he, "leave my store directly. How[Pg 30] dare you address me in such a way, you young tramp?"

 

"I'm no more a tramp than yourself," retorted Dan, now thoroughly²⁰ angry.

 

"Samuel, come here, and put out this boy!" exclaimed Nathan, too dignified²¹ to attempt the task himself.

 

Samuel advanced, nothing loth, his fishy eyes gleaming with pleasure.

 

"Get out, you vagabond!" he exclaimed, in the tone of authority.

 

"You're a couple of swindlers!" exclaimed Dan. "You won't pay for honest work."

 

"Out with him, Samuel!" ordered Gripp.

 

Samuel seized Dan by the shoulder, and attempted to obey orders, but our hero doubled him up with a blow from his fist, and the luckless clerk, faint and gasping²², staggered and nearly fell.

 

Dan stepped out on the sidewalk, and raising his hat, said, with mock politeness, "Good-morning, gentlemen!" and walked away, leaving Gripp and his assistant speechless with anger.

 

You're a couple of swindlers, exclaimed Dan

"You're a couple of swindlers!" exclaimed Dan. "You won't

pay for honest work."

1 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 dispelled   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His speech dispelled any fears about his health. 他的发言消除了人们对他身体健康的担心。
• The sun soon dispelled the thick fog. 太阳很快驱散了浓雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

6 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

7 suavity   

n.温和；殷勤

参考例句：

• He's got a surface flow of suavity,but he's rough as a rasp underneath.他表面看来和和气气的，其实是个粗野狂暴的恶棍。
• But the well-bred,artificial smile,when he bent upon the guests,had its wonted steely suavity.但是他哈着腰向宾客招呼的那种彬彬有礼、故意装成的笑容里，却仍然具有它平时那种沉着的殷勤。

8 prudently   

adv. 谨慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He prudently pursued his plan. 他谨慎地实行他那计划。
• They had prudently withdrawn as soon as the van had got fairly under way. 他们在蓬车安全上路后立即谨慎地离去了。

9 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

10 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

11 fishy   

adj. 值得怀疑的

参考例句：

• It all sounds very fishy to me.所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。
• There was definitely something fishy going on.肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。

12 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

13 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

14 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

15 astute   

adj.机敏的，精明的

参考例句：

• A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
• The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

17 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

18 humbling   

adj.令人羞辱的v.使谦恭( humble的现在分词 )；轻松打败（尤指强大的对手）；低声下气

参考例句：

• A certain humbling from time to time is good. 不时受点儿屈辱是有好处的。 来自辞典例句
• It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-buildingexperience. 据说天文学是一种令人产生自卑、塑造人格的科学。 来自互联网

19 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。

20 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

21 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

22 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”