CHAPTER II. WHERE MARK LIVED.

 There is a large tenement¹ house on St. Mark's Place, between Third Avenue and Avenue A. The suites² of rooms consist, as is the general New York custom in tenement houses, of one square apartment used as kitchen, sitting room and parlor³ combined, and two small bedrooms opening out of it.

 

It was in an apartment of this kind on the third floor back, that Mark Mason's mother and little sister Edith lived. It was a humble⁴ home, and plainly furnished, but a few books and pictures saved from the wreck⁵ of their former prosperity, gave the rooms an air of refinement⁶ not to be found in those of their neighbors.

 

Mrs. Mason was setting the table for supper and Edith was studying a lesson in geography when the door opened and Mark entered.

 

His mother greeted him with a pleasant smile.

 

"You are through early, Mark," she said.

 

"Yes, mother. I was let off earlier than usual, as there was an errand up this way that fortunately took very little time."

 

"I'm glad you've come home, Mark," said Edith, "I want you to help me in my map questions."

 

"All right, Edie, but you will have to wait till after supper. I've got something to tell mother."

 

"What is it, Mark?"

 

"I saw two old acquaintances of ours from Syracuse this forenoon."

 

"Who were they?" asked Mrs. Mason eagerly.

 

"Uncle Solon and Edgar."

 

"Is it possible? Where did you see them?"

 

"In City Hall Park. Edgar had just been having his boots blacked by Tom Trotter."

 

"Did you speak to them?"

 

"Yes."

 

"How did they appear?"

 

"Well, they didn't fall on my neck and embrace me," answered Mark with a smile. "In fact they seemed very cool."

 

"And yet Solon Talbot is my brother-in-law, the husband of my only sister."

 

"And Edgar is my own cousin. He's an awful snob⁷, mother, and he looks as like his father as one pea looks like another."

 

"Then he is not very handsome. I wish I could see them. Did you invite them to call?"

 

"Yes."

 

"And what did Solon—Mr. Talbot—say?"

 

"He said he might call, but he was in a great hurry."

 

"Did you remember to give him our address?"

 

"Yes, mother; I said you would like to see him about grandfather's estate."

 

"I certainly would. It seems strange, very strange—that father should have left so little money."

 

"We only got seventy-five dollars out of it."

 

"When I expected at least five thousand."

 

"I suspect there's been some dishonesty on the part of Uncle Solon. You know he is awfully⁸ fond of money."

 

"Yes, he always was."

 

"And Tom Trotter says that Edgar told him his father was very rich."

 

"It seems strange the change that has taken place. When I first knew Solon Talbot I was a young lady in society with a high position, and he was a clerk in my father's store. He was of humble parentage, though that, of course, is not to his discredit⁹. His father used to go about sawing wood for those who chose to employ him."

 

"You don't mean it! You never told me that before."

 

"No, for I knew that Solon would be ashamed to have it known, and as I said before it is nothing to his discredit."

 

"But it might prevent Edgar from putting on such airs. He looked at me as if I was an inferior being, and he didn't care to have anything to say to me."

 

"I hope you don't feel sensitive on that account."

 

"Sensitive? No. I can get along without Edgar Talbot's notice. I mean some time to stand as high or higher than Uncle Solon, and to be quite as rich."

 

"I hope you will, Mark, but as we are at present situated¹⁰ it will be hard to rise."

 

"Plenty of poor boys have risen, and why not I?"

 

"It is natural for the young to be hopeful, but I have had a good deal to depress me. Did you remember that the rent comes due the day after to-morrow?"

 

"How much have you towards it, mother?"

 

"Only five dollars, and it's eight. I don't see where the other three dollars are coming from, unless,"—and here her glance rested on the plain gold ring on her finger.

 

"Pledge your wedding-ring, mother!" exclaimed Mark. "Surely you don't mean that?"

 

"I would rather do it than lose our shelter, poor as it is."

 

"There must be some other way—there must be."

 

"You will not receive any wages till Saturday."

 

"No, but perhaps we can borrow something till then. There's Mrs. Mack up-stairs. She has plenty of money, though she lives in a poor way."

 

"There isn't much hope there, Mark. She feels poorer than I do, though I am told she has five thousand dollars out at interest."

 

"Never mind. I am going to try her."

 

"Eat your supper first."

 

"So I will. I shall need all the strength I can get from a good meal to confront her."

 

Half an hour later Mark went up-stairs and tapped at the door of the rooms above his mother's.

 

"Come in!" said a feeble quavering voice.

 

Mark opened the door and entered. In a rocking chair sat, or rather crouched¹¹, a little old woman, her face seamed and wrinkled. She had taken a comforter from the bed and wrapped it around her to keep her warm, for it was a chilly¹² day, and there was no fire in her little stove.

 

"Good evening, Mrs. Mack," said Mark. "How do you feel?"

 

"It's a cold day," groaned¹³ the old lady. "I—I feel very uncomfortable."

 

"Why don't you have a fire then?"

 

"It's gone out, and it's so late it isn't worth while to light it again."

 

"But it is worth while to be comfortable," insisted Mark.

 

"I—I can keep warm with this comforter around me, and—fuel is high, very high."

 

"But you can afford to buy more when this is burned."

 

"No, Mark. I have to be economical—very economical. I don't want to spend all my money, and go to the poor-house."

 

"I don't think there's much danger of that. You've got money in the savings¹⁴ bank, haven't you?"

 

"Yes—a little, but I can't earn anything. I'm too old to work, for I am seventy-seven, and I might live years longer, you know."

 

"Don't you get interest on your money?"

 

"Yes, a little, but it costs a good deal to live."

 

"Well, if the interest isn't enough, you can use some of the principal. I can put you in the way of earning twenty-five cents."

 

"Can you?" asked the old woman eagerly. "How?"

 

"If you'll lend me three dollars till Saturday—I get my wages then—I'll pay you twenty-five cents for the accommodation."

 

"But you might not pay me," said the old woman cautiously, "and it would kill me to lose three dollars."

 

Mark wanted to laugh, but felt that it would not do.

 

"There isn't any danger," he said. "I get two weeks' pay on Saturday. It will be as much as nine dollars, so you see you are sure of getting back your money."

 

"I—I don't know. I am afraid."

 

"What are you afraid of?"

 

"You might get run over by the horse cars, or a truck, and then you couldn't get your money."

 

"I will be careful for your sake, Mrs. Mack," said Mark good-humoredly. "You'll get your money back, and twenty-five cents more."

 

The old woman's face was a study—between avarice¹⁵ on the one hand and timidity on the other.

 

"I—I'm afraid," she said.

 

She rocked to and fro in her chair in her mental perturbation, and Mark saw that his errand was a failure.

 

"If you change your mind, let me know," he said.

 

As he reached the foot of the stairs he was treated to a surprise. There, just in front of his mother's door stood Solon Talbot and Edgar.

1 tenement   

n.公寓；房屋

参考例句：

• They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。
• She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里，她觉得很得意。

2 suites   

n.套( suite的名词复数 )；一套房间；一套家具；一套公寓

参考例句：

• First he called upon all the Foreign Ministers in their hotel suites. 他首先到所有外交部长住的旅馆套间去拜访。 来自辞典例句
• All four doors to the two reserved suites were open. 预定的两个套房的四扇门都敞开着。 来自辞典例句

3 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

4 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

5 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

6 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

7 snob   

n.势利小人，自以为高雅、有学问的人

参考例句：

• Going to a private school had made her a snob.上私立学校后，她变得很势利。
• If you think that way, you are a snob already.如果你那样想的话，你已经是势利小人了。

8 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。

9 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

10 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。

11 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

12 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

13 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 avarice   

n.贪婪；贪心

参考例句：

• Avarice is the bane to happiness.贪婪是损毁幸福的祸根。
• Their avarice knows no bounds and you can never satisfy them.他们贪得无厌，你永远无法满足他们。