CHAPTER XIII. — HENRY'S GOOD FORTUNE.

 Three months passed. To Henry Martin they passed very satisfactorily. At his new rate of payment he was able to lay up two dollars a week without denying himself anything absolutely necessary to his comfort. At the end of this period, therefore, he had twenty-six dollars on deposit in a new savings¹-bank. Of his venture he had heard nothing. He remained perfectly² easy about this, however, knowing that in due time he would hear from it. Mr. Hamilton, he observed, took more notice of him than formerly³. He frequently greeted him, in passing through to his office, with a pleasant word or smile; and Henry felt justified⁴ in concluding that he was in favor with him.

 

It was after the interval⁵ of time already mentioned that he again received a summons to the counting-room.

 

Mr. Hamilton had a long paper before him closely filled with figures.

 

"Sit down. Henry," he said.

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

"You remember our conversation three months since, I suppose?"

 

"Yes, sir; perfectly."

 

"You consented to take a share in a venture was sending out to Rotterdam?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I have just received a statement of it, and, you are interested, I have called you in to let you know how it has turned out."

 

"Thank you, sir," said Henry, eagerly.

 

"I find that, after deducting⁶ all expenses, your share of the profits will amount to one hundred dollars."

 

"One hundred dollars!" exclaimed Henry, in astonishment⁷ and delight.

 

"Yes. I think we have been very successful."

 

Henry felt flattered by that word "we." It seemed to associate him, humble⁸ office boy as he was, with the eminent⁹ merchant who employed him.

 

"That is better than the savings-bank, sir," said Henry.

 

"Yes, it is; but I ought to add that it is not always so sure. All ventures do not turn out so profitably. To return to your affairs I shall charge you interest on the five hundred dollars you borrowed of me, at the rate of seven per cent. You have had the use of the money for three months."

 

"Then the interest will amount to eight dollars and three quarters," said Henry, promptly¹⁰.

 

"Quite right; you are very quick at reckoning," said Mr. Hamilton, looking pleased.

 

"That is not a difficult sum," answered Henry, modestly.

 

"I did not suppose you knew much about computing¹¹ interest. You left school very young, did you not?"

 

"At twelve, sir."

 

"You had not studied interest then, had you?"

 

"No, sir; I have studied it since."

 

"At evening-school?"

 

"No, sir; I studied by myself in the evening."

 

"How long have you done that?"

 

"For two years."

 

"And you keep it up regularly?"

 

"Yes, sir; occasionally I take an evening for myself, but I average five evenings a week at studying."

 

"You are a remarkable¹² boy," said the merchant, looking surprised.

 

"If you flatter me, sir, I may grow self-conceited," said Henry, smiling.

 

"You have some right to feel satisfied with yourself. Tell me what was your object in commencing this course of work."

 

"I picked up at a bookstore on Nassau Street an old book containing the lives of some men who rose from obscurity; and I found that many of them studied by themselves in early life, being unable to attend school. It seemed to me that education was necessary to success, and, as I had nothing else to depend upon, I began to work evenings."

 

"Did you not find it irksome? Were you not tempted¹³ sometimes to give it up?"

 

"Just at first; but afterward¹⁴ I got to enjoy it."

 

Here Mr. Hamilton asked Henry a few questions, with a view of testing his knowledge both as to extent and accuracy; and the result was so satisfactory as more and more to prepossess him in favor of the boy.

 

He returned to business.

 

"It appears," he said, "that, interest deducted¹⁵, you have ninety-one dollars and a quarter to your credit with me. You are at liberty to draw it, if you wish."

 

"What would you advise me to do, Mr. Hamilton?" asked Henry.

 

"You had better leave it in my hands for such use as I may think likely to prove profitable. I shall dispatch a vessel¹⁶ to Marseilles in a week. Would you like to take a share in this venture?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Then, I will assign six hundred dollars to you. Five you may continue to borrow of me. One is your own."

 

"Not quite, sir. You remember the interest."

 

"That need not be charged till the end of the year. I will still retain the savings-bank book you left with me as a guaranty. Is that satisfactory?"

 

"Entirely¹⁷ so, sir."

 

"Have you been able to save up anything lately?"

 

"Yes, sir; I have twenty-six dollars on depost in another bank."

 

"Very good. You are, then, provided for in any case of emergency."

 

Henry went back to work.

 

His reflections, as may be imagined, were very pleasant. He figured up what he was worth, and it stood thus:

 

Six-penny Savings Bank.................... $35 00

 

Second bank account....................... 26 00

 

Proceeds of venture (net).................  91 25

                                         ———-

                                         $152 25

Thus he figured up a grand total of one hundred and fifty-two dollars and twenty-five cents, making a gain in three months of one hundred and seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents.

 

"Why, at this rate," thought Henry, "I shall soon be rich."

 

Of course, he owed a large part of this sum to the favor of his employer; but this, again, was earned by his fidelity¹⁸ and economy—two qualities which I wish were more common among boys of his age.

 

Returning to his room he looked for his savings-bank book, but to his dismay it was nowhere to be found.

 

"Where can it be?" he asked himself, perplexed¹⁹. "Perhaps Sam has seen it."

 

But Sam had not yet returned from the store, though it was past his usual time.

 

"It is very strange," thought Henry. "I am sure it was at the bottom of my trunk. Can the trunk have been opened?"

1 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。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

4 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

5 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

6 deducting   

v.扣除，减去( deduct的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Deducting drop size and velocity from circular blood stains. 如何从循环的血液中降低血滴的大小和速度。 来自电影对白
• Ordinary shareholders receive dividend from profit after deducting the preference shares dividend. 普通股股东可获派剩馀的盈利为股息。 来自互联网

7 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

8 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。

9 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

10 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

11 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

12 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。

13 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

14 afterward   

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。

15 deducted   

v.扣除，减去( deduct的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of your uniform will be deducted from your wages. 制服费将从你的工资中扣除。
• The cost of the breakages will be deducted from your pay. 损坏东西的费用将从你的工资中扣除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

19 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。