CHAPTER XXI. — ARRIVED IN BOSTON.

 At nine o'clock the train entered the Old Colony depot¹. As they entered, Julia began to show signs of uneasiness.

 

"I am afraid there will be no one here to meet me," she said.

 

"Then I'll see you safe home," said Sam, rather hoping that it would be necessary for him to do so.

 

They got out of the cars and walked slowly along, Julia scanning every face anxiously, in the hope of seeing her father or brother. But she could see no familiar face.

 

"They must have been at the first train, and gone home," she said, in disappointment.

 

"Have a carriage, sir?" asked the hackman.

 

"I guess you'd better take one," said Sam.

 

"Will you ride, too? I should be afraid to go alone."

 

"Yes, I will go, too," answered Sam.

 

"Any baggage?" asked the hackman.

 

"I've got a trunk," said Julia; "I got it checked."

 

"Give me the check, and I'll see to it."

 

"Shall I?" asked Julia, appealing to Sam.

 

"Yes, it'll be all right. How much will you charge?"

 

"Where do you want to be carried?"

 

"No.—-, Mount Vernon Street," answered Julia.

 

"I guess that's about right," said Sam, agreeably surprised with the smallness of the charge in comparison with the extortionate demands of New York hackmen. He considered it only gallant³ to offer to pay the hack² fare, and was glad it would not be too heavy a tax on his scanty⁴ resources.

 

The trunk was soon secured, and Sam and Julia entered the hack.

 

"It seems so good to be in dear old Boston again," said Julia, with a young girl's warmth of feeling.

 

"I suppose it does," said Sam, "but I never was here. I don't think the streets are as wide as they are in New York."

 

"Oh, we've got some wide streets," said. Julia, jealous of the fair fame of her native city. "This isn't the best part of Boston, by any means. Wait till you see the common."

 

"Shall we pass it?"

 

"I don't know," said Julia; "I guess we shall."

 

They did, in fact, go through a side street to Tremont, and drove alongside of the common.

 

"What do you think of that?" asked Julia, triumphantly⁵.

 

"Is that the common?"

 

"Yes; isn't it pretty?"

 

"It's small," answered Sam. "Is it the biggest park you have got?"

 

"Isn't it big enough?" retorted Julia.

 

"It's nothing to Central Park."

 

"Perhaps it isn't quite as large," admitted Julia, reluctantly; "but it's got bigger trees, and then there's the frog pond. There isn't any frog pond in Central Park."

 

"There's a lake there."

 

"And then there's the Old Elm, too," continued Julia, "It was standing⁶ hundreds of years before America was discovered."

 

"I don't see how that can be known," said Sam, shrewdly. "Who said so?"

 

"It's an Indian tradition, I suppose."

 

"Where is it? I should like to see it."

 

It was pointed⁷ out; but it's appearance neither contradicted nor confirmed Julia's assertion in regard to its antiquity⁸.

 

"What is that big building on the hill?" asked Sam.

 

"Oh, that's the State House. You can go up to the dome⁹ and see the view from there. It's grand."

 

"Isn't Bunker Hill monument round here somewhere?" asked Sam.

 

"It over in Charlestown, only about two miles off."

 

"I must go over there some time. I knew a boy that went up there."

 

"What was his name?"

 

The boy referred to by Sam was a bootblack named Terry O'Brien—a name which Sam conveniently forgot when questioned by Julia, as he was anxious to have her think that he had moved in good society in New York.

 

Mount Vernon Street was now close at hand. The hack stopped before a nice-looking swell-front house, such as used to be in favor with Bostonians, and Julia exclaimed, joyfully¹⁰: "There's mother looking out of the window!"

 

Sam descended¹¹ and helped Julia out.

 

"Now mind," said Julia, "you're coming in. I want to introduce you to mother."

 

She took out her purse to pay the driver.

 

"Let me attend to that," said Sam.

 

"No," said Julia, decidedly, "mother wouldn't like to have me. The carriage was got on my account, and I ought to pay for it."

 

The hackman was paid, and Julia and Sam walked up the front steps.

1 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。

2 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

3 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

4 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

5 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

9 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

10 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。

11 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。