CHAPTER XXIV — ANDY'S JOURNEY

 Toward the first of April of the succeeding year, Miss Sophia Grant took a severe cold, not serious, indeed, but such as to make it prudent¹ for her to remain indoors. This occasioned a little derangement² of her sister's plans; for both sisters were in the habit, about the first of April and of October, of taking a journey to Boston—partly for a change, and partly because at these times certain banks in which they owned stock declared dividends³, which they took the opportunity to collect. But this spring it seemed doubtful if they could go. Yet they wanted the money—a part of it, at least.

 

"Send Andrew," suggested Miss Sophia, after her sister had stated the difficulty.

 

In general Miss Priscilla did not approve Sophia's suggestions, but this struck her more favorably.

 

"I don't know but we might," she said, slowly. "He is a boy to be trusted."

 

"Just so."

 

"And I think he is a smart boy."

 

"Just so."

 

"He can take care of himself. You remember how he saved Colonel Preston from the robber?"

 

"Just so."

 

"Then, on the other hand, he has never been to Boston."

 

"He could ask."

 

"I don't suppose there would be any particular difficulty. I could give him all the necessary directions."

 

"Just so."

 

"I'll propose it to him."

 

So, after supper, as Andy was going out into the woodshed for an armful of wood, Miss Priscilla stopped him.

 

"Were you ever in Boston, Andy?" asked she.

 

"No, ma'am."

 

"I wish you had been."

 

"Why, ma'am?"

 

"Because I should like to send you there on some business."

 

"I'll go, ma'am," said Andy, eagerly.

 

Like most boys of his age, no proposition could have been more agreeable.

 

"Do you think you could find your way there, and around the city?"

 

"No fear of that, ma'am," said Andy, confidently.

 

"We generally go ourselves, as you know, but my sister is sick, and I don't like to leave her."

 

"Of course not, ma'am," said Andy, quite approving any plan that opened the way for a journey to him.

 

"We own bank stock, and on the first of April they pay us dividends. Now, if we send you, do you think you can get to the bank, get the money, and bring it back safe?"

 

"I'll do it for you, ma'am," said Andy.

 

"Well, I'll think of it between now and next week. If we send you at all, you must start next Monday."

 

"I'll go any day, ma'am," said Andy, "any day you name."

 

Miss Priscilla finally decided⁴ to send Andrew, but cautioned him against saying anything about it, except to his own family.

 

On Monday morning, just before the morning train was to start, Andrew appeared on the platform of the modest village depot⁵ with a small carpetbag in his hand, lent him by the Misses Grant.

 

"Give me a ticket to Boston," said he to the station master.

 

Godfrey Preston, who was about to return to his boarding school, had just purchased a ticket, and overheard this. He didn't much care to speak to Andy, but his curiosity overcame his pride.

 

"Are you going to Boston?" he asked.

 

"Yes," said Andy.

 

"What are you going for?"

 

"Important business."

 

"Has Miss Grant turned you off?"

 

"She didn't say anything about it this morning. Why, do you want to take my place?"

 

"Do you think I'd stoop to be a hired boy?" said Godfrey, haughtily⁶.

 

"You wouldn't need to stoop," said Andy; "you ain't any too tall."

 

Godfrey winced⁷ at this. He was not tall of his age, and he wanted to be. Andy had been growing faster than he, and was now, though scarcely as old, quite two inches taller.

 

"It makes no difference about being tall," he rejoined. "I am a gentleman, and don't have to work for a living like you do."

 

"What are you going to be when you grow up?"

 

"A lawyer."

 

"Then won't you work for money?"

 

"Of course."

 

"Then you'll be a hired man, and work for a living."

 

"That's very different. When are you coming back?"

 

"When I've finished my business."

 

"How soon will that be?"

 

"I can't tell yet."

 

"Humph! I shouldn't wonder if you were running away."

 

"Don't you tell anybody," said Andy, in a bantering⁸ tone.

 

"Where did you get the money to pay for your ticket?"

 

"What would you give to know?"

 

"You are impudent," said Godfrey, his cheek flushing.

 

"So are your questions," said Andy.

 

"I dare say you stole it."

 

"Look here, Godfrey Preston," said Andy, roused to indignation by this insinuation, "you'd better not say that again, if you know what's best for yourself."

 

He advanced a step with a threatening look, and Godfrey instinctively⁹ receded¹⁰.

 

"That comes of my speaking to my inferior," he said.

 

"You can't do that."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I don't know anybody that's inferior to you."

 

Godfrey turned on his heel wrathfully, muttering something about a "low beggar," which Andy, not hearing, did not resent.

 

The whistle of the locomotive was heard, and the cars came along.

 

With high anticipation¹¹ of pleasure, Andy got aboard. He had before him a journey of close upon a hundred miles, and he wished it had been longer. He had never been much of a traveler, and the scenes which were to greet his eyes were all novel. He had heard a good deal of Boston also, and he wanted to see it.

 

Besides the money which Miss Grant had given him to defray his expenses, he had with him ten dollars of his own. Since his mother had received the two donations from Colonel Preston she made Andy keep half his wages for his own use. These were now seven dollars a week, so he kept three and a half, and of this sum was able to lay up about half. So he had a supply of money in his trunk, of which he had taken with him ten dollars.

 

"Maybe I'll see something I want to buy in the city," he said to himself.

 

I don't mean to dwell upon the journey. There is nothing very exciting in a railway trip, even of a hundred miles, nowadays, unless, indeed, the cars run off the track, or over the embankment, and then it is altogether too exciting to be agreeable. For the sake of my young hero, whom I really begin to like, though he was "only an Irish boy," I am glad to say that nothing of that sort took place; but in good time—about the time when the clock on the Old South steeple indicated noon—Andy's train drove into the Boston & Maine Railway depot, fronting on Haymarket Square.

 

"Inquire your way to Washington Street."

 

That was the first direction that Andy had received from Miss Priscilla, and that was what our hero did first.

 

The question was addressed to a very civil young man, who politely gave Andy the necessary directions. So, in a short time, he reached Washington Street by way of Court Street.

 

The next thing was to inquire the way to the Merchants' Bank, that being the one in which the ladies owned the largest amount of stock.

 

"Where is the Merchants' Bank?" asked Andy of a boy, whose blacking-box denoted his occupation.

 

"I'll show you, mister," said the boy. "Come along." His young guide, instead of taking him to the bank, took him to the side door of the court-house, and said:

 

"Go in there."

 

It was a massive stone building, and Andy, not suspecting that he was being fooled, went in. Wandering at random¹², he found his way into a room, where a trial was going on. That opened his eyes.

 

"He cheated me," thought Andy. "Maybe I'll get even with him."

 

He retraced¹³ his steps, and again found himself in the street. His fraudulent young guide, with a grin on a face not over clean, was awaiting his appearance.

 

1 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

2 derangement   

n.精神错乱

参考例句：

• She began to think he was in mental derangement. 她开始想这个人一定是精神错乱了。
• Such a permutation is called a derangement. 这样的一个排列称为错位排列。

3 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

6 haughtily   

adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地

参考例句：

• She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。
• Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯，走到二楼，我刚好站在那儿。

7 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

8 bantering   

adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄

参考例句：

• There was a friendly, bantering tone in his voice. 他的声音里流露着友好诙谐的语调。
• The students enjoyed their teacher's bantering them about their mistakes. 同学们对老师用风趣的方式讲解他们的错误很感兴趣。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

11 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

12 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

13 retraced   

v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》