CHAPTER VIII. ROSE IN HER NEW HOME.

 At the close of the afternoon the newsboy, counting up his gains, found that he had made a dollar and a half by selling papers, and twenty-five cents besides, by an errand which he had done for a shopkeeper whose boy was sick. If he could keep up this rate of wages every day, he would be able to get along very well. But, in the first place, it was not often that he made as much as a dollar and a half by selling papers, nor was there a chance to do errands every day. When it was rainy his sales of papers fell off, as there were not so many people about Rufus began to feel like a family man, with the responsibility of supporting a family on his hands.

He was determined¹ that his little sister should not be obliged to go out into the street to earn anything, though there are many girls, no older than she, who are sent out with matches, or papers, or perhaps to beg. But Rufus was too proud to permit that.

"A stout² boy like me ought to earn money enough to take care of two persons," he said to himself.

About half-past five he started for Franklin Street, for it will be remembered that he had arranged to take supper with his sister and Miss Manning.

Rose had been listening for his step, and as soon as she heard it on the stairs, she ran out on the landing, and called out, joyfully³, "Is that you, Rufie?"

"Yes, Rosie," said the newsboy. "What have you been doing to-day?"

"I've had such a nice time, Rufie," said the little girl, clinging to her brother's arm. "Miss Manning began to teach me my letters to-day."

"How does she get along, Miss Manning?" asked Rough and Ready, who by this time had entered the room.

"Famously," said Miss Manning. "She's very quick. I think she'll be able to read in three months, if she keeps on doing as well as to-day."

"That's good," said the newsboy, with satisfaction. "I've always been afraid that she would grow up ignorant, and I shouldn't like that."

"I'm no great scholar," said Miss Manning, modestly; "but I shall be glad to teach Rose all I can."

"I am afraid it will be a good deal of trouble for you."

"No, it is very little. Rose sits beside me, learning, while I am sewing."

"But you have to leave off to hear her."

"Leaving off now and then rests me. Besides, as you pay part of my rent, I do not need to work so steadily⁴ as I used to do."

"I've a great mind to ask you to teach me a little, too, Miss Manning," said the newsboy.

"I'll do it with pleasure, as far as I am capable. How much do you know?"

"Precious little," said Rufus. "I can read some, but when I get out of easy reading I can't do much."

"Can you write?"

"A little, but not much."

"I will help you all I can."

"Then I'll bring a writing book to-morrow evening, and a book to read out of."

Rough and Ready, though not as ignorant as many in his situation in life, had long deplored⁵ his ignorance, and wished that he knew more. But he had been obliged to work early and late, and his stepfather was not one to give him assistance, or take any interest in his improvement. So he had grown up ignorant, though possessed⁶ of excellent abilities, because he saw no way of obtaining the knowledge he desired. Now, however, he thought, with Miss Manning's help, he might enter upon a career of improvement.

"Have you seen father yet, Rufie?" asked Rose, uneasily.

"I saw Mr. Martin this morning," said the newsboy, emphasizing the name, for he would not recognize any relationship between them.

"I mean Mr. Martin," said Rose. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to know where you were."

"Did he?" asked Rose, looking frightened.

"Don't be afraid, Rosie," said her brother, putting his arm round his little sister's neck. "He doesn't know, and I shan't let him find out."

 

Rose and her Enemy.

 

"But if he should find out," said Rose, in terror. "You won't let him carry me off."

"No, I won't. Don't be frightened. Do you like this better than Leonard Street, Rosie?"

"Oh, ever so much."

Rufus looked pleased. He felt that he had made the best arrangement in his power for his sister's comfort and happiness, and that he had been very lucky to find so suitable a person as Miss Manning to place her with.

While he was talking with Rose, the seamstress had been moving about quietly, and by this time the little table was neatly⁷ spread in the centre of the room. On it were placed knives, forks, and plates for three. The teakettle had boiled, and, taking out her little teapot, the seamstress put it on the stove for the tea to steep.

"Do you like toast, Rufus?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss Manning; but I don't want you to take too much trouble."

"It's very little trouble. I think Rose would like toast too. I've got a little meat too."

She took from the cupboard about half a pound of steak, which she put on the coals to broil⁸.

"I'm afraid you're giving us too good a supper," said the newsboy. "Beefsteak costs considerable. I don't want you to lose money by Rose and me."

"There is no danger of that," said Miss Manning. "It doesn't cost as much as you think for. The steak only cost me twelve cents."

"But there's the tea and the toast," suggested Rough and Ready.

"Toast costs no more than bread, and six cents pays for all the bread we eat at night. Then I only need a spoonful or two of tea, and that, and the sugar and butter altogether, don't cost more than eighteen cents."

"Do you mean that we can live like this for thirty cents a meal?" asked the newsboy, incredulously. "Why, I have about as much as that to pay for my dinner at the eating-house, and the meat isn't as good as this, I am sure."

"Yes, they charge considerable for the cooking and the profits," said Miss Manning. "I do the cooking myself, and save all that."

By this time dinner, as we may call it, was ready, and the three sat down to the table.

It was, to be sure, an humble⁹ meal; but it looked very attractive and inviting¹⁰ for all that, with the steak on a plate in the centre, the well-browned toast on one side, and the little plate of butter on the other, while the little teapot steamed with its fragrant¹¹ beverage¹². It was so different from the way in which they had lived in Leonard Street, that it seemed very pleasant to the two children.

"Isn't it nice, Rufie?" said Rose.

"Yes," said the newsboy. "It's what I call reg'larly jolly. Besides, it cost so little money, I can't get over that. I'm sure we're much obliged to Miss Manning."

"But," said the seamstress, "you must remember that if it's better for you, it's better and pleasanter for me too. You mustn't think I used to live like this before Rose came to me. I couldn't afford to. Sometimes I had a little tea, but not often, and it was very seldom that I ate any meat. The rent came hard for me to pay, and I had to work so steadily that I didn't feel as if I could afford time to cook anything, even if I had the money to buy it with."

"What did you have for supper, Miss Manning?" inquired Rose.

"Generally I didn't get anything but dry bread, without butter or tea."

"But I should think you would have felt hungry for something else."

"I didn't have much appetite. I sat so steadily at my work, without a chance to breathe the fresh air, that I cared very little about eating. My appetite is beginning to come now."

"I think you and Rose had better take a walk every day," said Rufus. "You both need to breathe the fresh air. That is, if you think you can spare the time."

"Oh, yes, I can spare the time, now that I get paid so well for my boarder," said the seamstress, playfully. "An hour or two of my time is worth very little. How much do you think I earn when I sit over my work all day,—about fourteen hours?"

"I don't know," said Rufus. "I think you ought to earn as much as a dollar."

Miss Manning shook her head, with a smile.

"I see you know very little about the wages paid to us poor seamstresses," she said. "If I were paid a dollar for my day's work I should feel as if I were worth a fortune."

"But you earn near that," said the newsboy, "don't you?"

"When I work steadily, I earn about three shillings," said Miss Manning.

I must here remind my New England reader, who is accustomed to consider a shilling about seventeen cents, that in New York eight shillings are reckoned to the dollar, and a shilling, therefore, only represents twelve and a half cents; Miss Manning's day's work thus brought her thirty-seven and a half cents.

"Three shillings!" repeated Rough and Ready, in surprise. "That's very poor pay. I think I do very poorly if I don't make as much as a dollar. Won't they pay you any more?"

"No, they find plenty who are ready to take their work at the price they are willing to pay. If anybody complains, they take away their work and employ somebody else."

"How much do you think I made to day?" asked the newsboy.

"A dollar and a quarter?"

"I made a dollar and seventy-five cents," said Rough and Ready, with satisfaction.

"Rufie's real smart," said Rose, who was proud of her brother, in whom she felt implicit¹³ confidence.

"You mustn't believe all she says, Miss Manning," said the newsboy, laughing. "Rose thinks more of me than anybody else does. But what were we talking about? Oh, about going out for a walk every day. If you think you can spare the time to go out with Rose, I think it will do you both good."

"We can come round and see you sell papers sometimes, Rufie," said his little sister.

"No," said the newsboy, hastily, "I don't want you to do that."

"Why not?" said Rose, surprised.

"Because Mr. Martin is on the lookout¹⁴ for Rose, and will very likely be prowling round somewhere near me, ready to pounce¹⁵ on Rose if he happens to see her. So I'd rather you'd keep on the west side with her Miss Manning. If you go on Broadway, let it be somewhere above Chamber¹⁶ Street, where you won't be seen from the Park. In that way Martin won't be likely to meet you."

"It is best to be prudent¹⁷, no doubt," said Miss Manning. "I will remember your wishes."

The next evening, Rufus began to study, under the guidance and direction of Miss Manning. He generally left the room about nine o'clock, and made his way to the Newsboys' Lodge¹⁸, where he now passed his nights regularly.

1 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。

3 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

4 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

5 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

6 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

7 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

8 broil   

v.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂；n.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂

参考例句：

• Bake,broil,grill or roast foods rather than fry them.烧烤或烘烤而不要油炸食物。
• He is in a broil of indignation.此刻他正怒气冲冲。

9 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。

10 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

11 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

12 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

13 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

14 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

15 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

16 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

17 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。

18 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。