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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » Hector's Inheritance or The Boys of Smith Institute » CHAPTER X. DINNER AT SMITH INSTITUTE.
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CHAPTER X. DINNER AT SMITH INSTITUTE.
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 At twelve o’clock the morning session closed. Then came an intermission of an hour, during which the day scholars either ate lunch brought with them, or went to their homes in the village to partake of a warm repast.
At ten minutes past twelve, a red-armed servant girl made her appearance at the back door looking out on the playground, and rang a huge dinner bell. The boys dropped their games, and made what haste they could to the dining room.
“Now for a feast!” said Wilkins to Hector, significantly.
“Does Mr. Smith furnish good board?” asked Hector, for he felt the hunger of a healthy boy who had taken an early breakfast.
“Good grub?” said Wilkins, making a face. “Wait till you see. Old Sock isn’t going to ruin himself providing his pupils with the delicacies1 of the season.”
“I’m sorry for that. I am confoundedly hungry.”
“Hungry!” exclaimed Wilkins. “I’ve been I hungry ever since I came here.”
“Is it as bad as that?” asked Hector, rather alarmed.
“I should say so. I haven’t had a square meal—what I call a square meal—for four weeks, and that’s just the time since I left home.”
They had reached the door of the dining-room by this time.
In the center stood a long table, but there didn’t seem to be much on it except empty plates. At a side table stood Mrs. Smith, ladling out soup from a large tureen.
“That’s the first course,” whispered Wilkins. “I hope you’ll like it.”
The boys filed in and took seats. The servant girl already referred to began to bring plates of soup and set before the boys. It was a thin, unwholesome-looking mixture, with one or two small pieces of meat, about the size of a chestnut3, in each plate, and fragments of potatoes and carrots. A small, triangular4 wedge of dry bread was furnished with each portion of soup.
“We all begin to eat together. Don’t be in a hurry,” said Wilkins, in a low tone.
When all the boys were served, Socrates Smith, who sat in an armchair at the head of the table, said:
“Boys, we are now about to partake of the bounties5 of Providence6, let me hope, with grateful hearts.”
He touched a hand bell, and the boys took up their soup spoons.
Hector put a spoonful gingerly into his mouth, and then, stopping short, looked at Wilkins. His face was evidently struggling not to express disgust.
“Is it always as bad?” he asked, in a whisper.
“Yes,” answered Wilkins, shrugging his shoulders.
“But you eat it!”
Wilkins had already swallowed his third spoonful.
“I don’t want to starve,” answered Wilkins, significantly. “You’ll get used to it in time.”
Hector tried to dispose of a second spoonful, but he had to give it up. At home he was accustomed to a luxurious7 table, and this meal seemed to be a mere8 mockery. Yet he felt hungry. So he took up the piece of bread at the side of his plate, and, though it was dry, he succeeded in eating it.
By this time his left-hand neighbor, a boy named Colburn, had finished his soup. He looked longingly9 at Hector’s almost untasted plate.
“Ain’t you going to eat your soup?” he asked, in a hoarse10 whisper
“No.”
“Give it to me?”
“Yes.”
In a trice, Colburn had appropriated Hector’s plate and put his own empty one in its place. Just after this transfer had been made, Mr. Smith looked over to where Hector was sitting. He observed the empty plate, and said to himself: “That new boy has been gorging11 himself. He must have a terrible appetite. Well, that’s one good thing, he ain’t dainty. Some boys turn up their noses at plain, wholesome2 diet. I didn’t know but he might.”
Presently the hand bell rang again, and the soup plates were removed. In their places were set dinner plates, containing a small section each of corned beef, with a consumptive-looking potato, very probably “soggy.” At any rate, this was the case with Hector’s. He succeeded in eating the meat, but not the potato.
“Give me your potato?” asked his left-hand neighbor.
“Yes.”
It was quickly appropriated. Hector looked with some curiosity at the boy who did so much justice to boarding-school fare. He was a thin, pale boy, who looked as if he had been growing rapidly, as, indeed, he had. This, perhaps, it was that stimulated12 his appetite. Afterward13 Hector asked him if he really liked his meals.
“No,” he said; “they’re nasty.”
He was an English boy, which accounted for his use of the last word.
“You eat them as if you liked them,” remarked Hector.
“I’m so hungry,” apologized Colburn, mournfully. “I’m always hungry. I eat to fill up, not ‘cause I like it. I could eat anything.”
“I believe he could,” said Wilkins, who overheard this conversation. “Could you eat fried cat, now?” he asked.
“Yes,” answered Colburn, honestly. “There would be something hearty14 and filling about fried cat. I ain’t half full now.”
It was just after dinner.
Hector might have said the same thing at the end of his first dinner. There was, indeed, another course. It consisted of some pale, flabby apple pie, about half baked. The slices given were about half the size of those that are ordinarily supplied at private tables and restaurants. Hector managed to eat the apple, but the crust he was obliged to leave. He noticed, however, that his fellow pupils were not so fastidious.
When the last fragment of pie had disappeared, Mr. Smith again rang the hand bell.
“Boys,” he said, “we have now satisfied our appetites.”
“I haven’t,” thought Hector.
“We have once more experienced the bountiful goodness of Providence in supplying our material wants. As we sit down to our plain but wholesome diet, I wonder how many of us are sensible of our good fortune. I wonder how many of us think of the thousands of poor children, scattered15 about the world, who know not where to get their daily bread. You have been refreshed, and have reinforced your strength; you will soon be ready to resume your studies, and thus, also, take in a supply of mental food, for, as you are all aware, or ought to be aware, the mind needs to be fed as well as the body. There will first be a short season for games and out-of-door amusements. Mr. Crabb, will you accompany the boys to the playground and superintend their sports?”
Mr. Crabb also had participated in the rich feast, and rose with the same unsatisfied but resigned look which characterized the rest. He led the way to the playground, and the boys trooped after him.
“Really, Wilkins,” said Hector, in a low tone, “this is getting serious. Isn’t there any place outside where one can get something to eat?”
“There’s a baker’s half a mile away, but you can’t go till after afternoon session.”
“Show me the way there, then, and I’ll buy something for both of us.”
“All right,” said Wilkins, brightening up.
“By the way, I didn’t see Jim Smith at the table.”
“No; he eats with his uncle and aunt afterward. You noticed that old Sock didn’t eat just now.”
“Yes, I wondered at it.”
“He has something a good deal better afterward. He wouldn’t like our dinner any better than we did; but he is better off, for he needn’t eat it.”
“So Jim fares better than the rest of us, does he?”
“Yes, he’s one of the family, you know.”
Just then pleasant fumes16 were wafted17 to the boys’ nostrils18, and they saw through the open window, with feelings that cannot well be described, a pair of roast chickens carried from the kitchen to the dining-room.
“See what old Sock and Ma’am Sock are going to have for dinner?” said Wilkins, enviously19.
“I don’t like to look at it. It is too tantalizing,” said Hector.

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1 delicacies 0a6e87ce402f44558508deee2deb0287     
n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 );精致;精美的食物;周到
参考例句:
  • Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后,狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
2 wholesome Uowyz     
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的
参考例句:
  • In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
  • It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。
3 chestnut XnJy8     
n.栗树,栗子
参考例句:
  • We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
  • In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。
4 triangular 7m1wc     
adj.三角(形)的,三者间的
参考例句:
  • It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
  • One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。
5 bounties 14745fd05fd9002f5badcb865e64de92     
(由政府提供的)奖金( bounty的名词复数 ); 赏金; 慷慨; 大方
参考例句:
  • They paid bounties for people to give up their weapons. 他们向放下武器的人发放赏金。
  • This foundation provided bounties of more than 5 million last year. 去年该基金会赠款达五百万元以上。
6 providence 8tdyh     
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝
参考例句:
  • It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
  • To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事,是违背上帝的意志的。
7 luxurious S2pyv     
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的
参考例句:
  • This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
  • The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
8 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
9 longingly 2015a05d76baba3c9d884d5f144fac69     
adv. 渴望地 热望地
参考例句:
  • He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
  • Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情,一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。
10 hoarse 5dqzA     
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的
参考例句:
  • He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
  • He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动,嗓子都喊哑了。
11 gorging 0e89d8c03b779459feea702697460d81     
v.(用食物把自己)塞饱,填饱( gorge的现在分词 );作呕
参考例句:
  • They had been gorging fruit in the forest. 他们方才一直在森林里狼吞虎咽地大嚼野果。 来自辞典例句
  • He saw roses winding about the rain spout; or mulberries-birds gorging in the mulberry tree. 他会看到玫瑰花绕在水管上,或者是看到在桑树枝头上使劲啄食的小鸟。 来自辞典例句
12 stimulated Rhrz78     
a.刺激的
参考例句:
  • The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
  • The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。
13 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
14 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
15 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
16 fumes lsYz3Q     
n.(强烈而刺激的)气味,气体
参考例句:
  • The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
  • Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。
17 wafted 67ba6873c287bf9bad4179385ab4d457     
v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
  • A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 nostrils 23a65b62ec4d8a35d85125cdb1b4410e     
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
  • The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
19 enviously ltrzjY     
adv.满怀嫉妒地
参考例句:
  • Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而,它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句
  • Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置,心里在想,他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句


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