CHAPTER VIII. NEW PLANS.

 At the close of the afternoon, as had been proposed, Mr. Murdock, accompanied by Dick, rode up as far as Forty-Fifth Street, to look at the lots which he had suggested buying. They were located in a very eligible¹ situation, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Some of my young readers may not be aware that the dimensions of a city lot are twenty-five feet front by one hundred feet in depth. The four lots together made a plot of one hundred feet by one hundred, or a little less than quarter of an acre. In the country the whole would scarcely have been considered sufficient for a house with a good yard in front; but if people choose to live in the city they must make up their minds to be crowded.

 

"It looks small,—don't it?" said Dick. "I shouldn't think there was four lots there."

 

"Yes," said Mr. Murdock, "they are of the regular size. Some lots are only twenty feet wide. These are twenty-five. They don't look so large before they are built on."

 

"Well," said Dick, "I'm in for buying them."

 

"I think it will be a good investment for both of us," said Mr. Murdock.

 

"The money shall be ready whenever you want it," said Dick.

 

"Very well. I will see the owner to-morrow, or rather this evening, as it is best to be prompt, lest we might lose so favorable a bargain. I will make the best terms I can with him, and let you know the result to-morrow."

 

"All right!" said Dick. "Good-night, Mr. Murdock."

 

"Good-night. By-the-by, why won't you come round and take supper with us? My wife and children will be glad to make your acquaintance."

 

"Thank you," said Dick. "I will come some other evening with pleasure; but if I stay away without saying anything about it, Fosdick won't know what's become of me."

 

Dick got back to Bleecker Street a little late for dinner. When he entered the dining-room, the remainder of the boarders were seated at the table.

 

"Come, Mr. Hunter, you must render an account of yourself," said Miss Peyton, playfully. "Why are you late this evening?"

 

"Suppose I don't tell," said Dick.

 

"Then you must pay a fine,—mustn't he, Mrs. Browning?"

 

"That depends upon who is to benefit by the fines," said the landlady². "If they are to be paid to me, I shall be decidedly in favor of it. That reminds me that you were late to breakfast this morning, Miss Peyton."

 

"Oh, ladies mustn't be expected to pay fines," said Miss Peyton, shaking her ringlets. "They never have any money, you know."

 

"Then I think we must let Mr. Hunter off," said Mrs. Browning.

 

"If he will tell us what has detained him. You must excuse my curiosity, Mr. Hunter, but ladies, you know, are privileged to be curious."

 

"I don't mind telling," said Dick, helping³ himself to a piece of toast. "I'm talking of buying some lots up-town, and went up with a friend to look at them."

 

Fosdick looked at Dick, inquiringly, not knowing if he were in earnest or not.

 

"Indeed!" said Mr. Clifton. "May I inquire where the lots are situated⁴?"

 

"I'll tell you if I buy them," said Dick; "but I don't want to run the risk of losing them."

 

"You needn't be afraid of my cutting you out," said Clifton. "I paid my washerwoman this morning, and haven't got but a dollar and a half over. I suppose that won't buy the property."

 

"I wish it would," said Dick. "In that case I'd buy half a dozen lots."

 

"I suppose, from your investing in lots, Mr. Hunter, that you are thinking of getting married, and living in a house of your own," said Miss Peyton, simpering.

 

"No," said Dick, "I shan't get married for a year. Nobody ought to be married before they're seventeen."

 

"That's just my age," said Miss Peyton.

 

Mr. Clifton afterwards informed Dick that Miss Peyton was twenty-five, but did not mention how he had ascertained⁵. He likewise added that when he first came to the boarding-house, she had tried her fascinations⁶ upon him.

 

"She'd have married me in a minute," he said complacently⁷; "but I'm too old a bird to be caught that way. When you see Mrs. Clifton, gentlemen, you'll see style and beauty, and—money" he added, after a moment's reflection.

 

Mr. Clifton had a tolerably good opinion of himself, as may be inferred from this remark. In fact, he valued himself rather more highly than the ladies appeared to do; but such cases are not remarkable⁸.

 

"Mrs. Clifton will be a lucky woman," said Dick, with a sober face.

 

"You're very kind to say so," said Mr. Clifton, modestly. "I believe I'm tolerably good-looking, and nobody'll deny that I've got style. But money,—that's my weak point. You couldn't lend me five dollars, could you, till next week?"

 

"I'm afraid not," said Dick. "My up-town lots cost so much, and then there'll be the taxes afterwards."

 

"Oh, it's of no consequence. I thought a little of going to the opera to-night, and I need a new pair of gloves. It costs a sight to keep a fellow in gloves."

 

"So it does," said Dick. "I bought a pair for fifty cents six months ago, and now I've got to buy another pair."

 

"Ha, ha! good joke! By the way, I wonder you fellows don't take a better room."

 

"Why should we? Isn't this good enough?" asked Fosdick.

 

"Oh, it's comfortable and all that," said Clifton; "but you know what I mean. You wouldn't want any of your fashionable friends to call upon you here."

 

"That's a fact," said Dick. "Suppose," he said, turning to Fosdick, with a twinkle in his eye, "Johnny Nolan should call upon us here. What would he think of our living in such a room?"

 

"He would probably be surprised," said Fosdick, entering into the joke.

 

"Is he one of your Madison-Avenue friends?" asked Clifton, a little mystified.

 

"I don't know where he lives," said Dick, with truth; "but he's a friend of mine, in business down town."

 

"Wholesale⁹ or retail¹⁰?"

 

"Retail I should say,—shouldn't you, Fosdick?"

 

"Yes," said Fosdick, amused at Clifton's evident mystification.

 

"Well, good-evening, gents," said Clifton, sauntering out of the room. "Call and see me when you haven't anything better to do."

 

"Thank you. Good-night."

 

"Were you in earnest, Dick, about the up-town lots," asked Fosdick, after Clifton had left the room.

 

"Yes," said Dick. "It's an investment that Mr. Murdock advised. I'll tell you about it, and then you can tell me what you think of it."

 

Dick thereupon gave an account of the conversation that had taken place between him and the head clerk, and what they proposed to do. "What do you think of it?" he concluded.

 

"I have no doubt it is an excellent plan," said Fosdick; "but of course my opinion isn't worth much. I don't see but you stand a chance to be a rich man some time, Dick."

 

"By the time I get to be a hundred," said Dick.

 

"A good while before that, I presume. But there's something else we must not forget."

 

"What is that?"

 

"Money is a good thing to have, but a good education is better. I was thinking to-day that since we have come here we haven't done any studying to amount to anything."

 

"That is true."

 

"And the sooner we begin the better."

 

"All right. I agree to that."

 

"But we shall need assistance. I've taught you about all I know myself, and now we want to go higher."

 

"What shall we do?"

 

"I'll tell you, Dick. Have you noticed the young man that has a room just opposite ours?"

 

"His name is Layton,—isn't it?"

 

"Yes."

 

"What about him?"

 

"I heard yesterday that he was a teacher in a private school. We might engage him to teach us in the evening, or, at any rate, see if he is willing."

 

"All right. Is he in now, I wonder?"

 

"Yes. I heard him go into his room a few minutes since."

 

"Very well; suppose we go in and speak to him."

 

The boys at once acted upon this suggestion, and, crossing the entry, knocked at the door.

 

"Come in!" said a voice from within.

 

The door being opened, they found themselves in the presence of a young man of pleasant appearance, apparently¹¹ about twenty-five years of age.

 

"Good-evening, gentlemen," he said. "I am glad to see you. Will you have seats?"

 

"Thank you," said Fosdick. "We came in on a little business. I understand you are a teacher, Mr. Layton."

 

"Yes, I am engaged in a private school in the city."

 

"My friend and myself are engaged in business during the day, but we feel that our education is quite deficient¹², and we want to make arrangements to study evenings. We cannot do this to advantage without assistance. Are you occupied during the evenings?"

 

"No, I am not."

 

"Perhaps you would not like teaching in the evening, after being engaged in the daytime."

 

"On the contrary, I have been hoping to secure scholars; but I hardly knew how to set about it."

 

"Are you acquainted with the French language, Mr. Layton?"

 

"Yes, I am tolerably familiar with it. I studied it at college with a native teacher."

 

"If you are a college graduate, then, you will be able to teach us whatever we desire to learn. But I am afraid we may not be able to make it worth your while. We have neither of us large salaries. But if four dollars a week—two dollars for each of us—would be satisfactory—"

 

"I shall be satisfied with it," said Mr. Layton. "In fact," he added, frankly¹³, "I shall consider it quite a welcome addition to my salary. My father died a year since, and my mother and sister are compelled to depend upon me in part for support. But I have not been able to do as much for them as I wished. This addition to my earnings¹⁴ will give me the means of increasing their comforts."

 

"Then it will be a pleasant arrangement all round," said Fosdick. "What would you advise us to study?"

 

After a few inquiries¹⁵ as to their present attainments¹⁶, Mr. Layton recommended a course of mathematics, beginning with algebra¹⁷, history, and the French language. He gave the boys a list of the books they would be likely to need.

 

The next evening the boys commenced studying, and determined¹⁸ to devote an hour and a half each evening to mental improvement. They found Mr. Layton an excellent teacher, and he on his side found them very apt pupils.

 

Dick had an active, intelligent mind, and an excellent capacity, and Fosdick had always had a thirst for learning, which he was now able to gratify. As his salary would have been insufficient¹⁹ to pay his expenses and the teacher besides, he was obliged to have recourse to his little fund in the savings²⁰ bank. Dick offered to assist him, but Fosdick would not consent. Just as his savings were about exhausted²¹, his wages were raised two dollars a week, and this enabled him to continue the arrangement without assistance.

 

In the course of a few weeks the boys commenced reading French, and found it quite interesting.

1 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

2 landlady   

n.女房东，女地主

参考例句：

• I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
• The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 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。

5 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fascinations   

n.魅力( fascination的名词复数 )；有魅力的东西；迷恋；陶醉

参考例句：

• The fascinations of the circus are endless. 马戏表演非常吸引人。 来自辞典例句
• He held the children spellbound with magic tricks and other fascinations. 他使那些孩子沉浸在魔术和其他魅力中。 来自互联网

7 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

9 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

10 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

13 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

14 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

15 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 attainments   

成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就

参考例句：

• a young woman of impressive educational attainments 一位学业成就斐然的年轻女子
• He is a scholar of the highest attainments in this field. 他在这一领域是一位颇有造就的学者。

17 algebra   

n.代数学

参考例句：

• He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
• The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

18 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

19 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

20 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

21 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。