When six o’clock came granny began to wonder why Tom did not come back. She usually returned earlier, with whatever money she had managed to obtain.
131“She’s afraid of a lickin’,” thought granny. “She’ll get a wuss one if she stays away.”
An hour passed, and granny became hungry; but unfortunately she was penniless, and had nothing in the room except a crust of hard bread which she intended for Tom’s supper. Hunger compelled her to eat this herself, though it was not much to her taste. Every moment’s additional delay irritated her the more with the rebellious2 Tom.
“I wish I had her here,” soliloquized granny, spitefully.
When it was half-past seven granny resolved to go out and hunt her up. She might be on the sidewalk outside playing. Perhaps—but this was too daring for belief—she might be spending her afternoon’s earnings3 on another square meal.
Granny went downstairs, and through the archway into the street. There were plenty of children, living in neighboring tenement4 houses, gathered in groups or playing about, but no Tom was visible.
“Have you seen anything of my gal5, Micky Murphy?” asked granny of a boy whom she had often seen with Tom.
132“No,” said Micky. “I haven’t seen her.”
“Haven’t any of you seen her?” demanded Mrs. Walsh, making the question a general one.
“I seen her sellin’ papers,” said one boy.
“When was that?” asked granny, eagerly.
“’Bout four o’clock.”
“Where was she?”
“Greenwich Street.”
This was a clue at least, but a faint one. Tom had been seen at four o’clock, and now it was nearly eight. Long before this she must have sold her papers, and the unpleasant conviction dawned upon granny that she must have spent her earnings upon herself.
“If I could only get hold of her!” muttered granny, vengefully.
She went as far as the City Hall, and followed along down by the Park fence, looking about her in all directions, in the hope that she might espy6 Tom. But the latter was at this time engaging lodgings7 for the night, as we know, and in no danger of being caught.
Unwilling8 to give up the pursuit, Mrs. Walsh 133wandered about for an hour or more, occasionally resting on one of the seats in the City Hall Park, till the unwonted exertion9 began to weary her, and she realized that she was not likely to encounter Tom.
There was one chance left. Tom might have got home while she had been in search of her. Spurred by this hope, Mrs. Walsh hurried home, and mounted to her lofty room. But it was as desolate10 as when she left it. It was quite clear that Tom did not mean to come back that night. This was provoking; but granny still was confident that she would return in the course of the next day. So she threw herself on the bed,—not without some silent imprecations upon her rebellious charge,—and slept till morning.
Morning brought her a new realization11 of her loss. She found her situation by no means an agreeable one. Her appetite was excellent, but she was without food or money to buy a supply. It was certainly provoking to think that she must look out for herself. However, granny was equal to the occasion. She did not propose to work for a living, but decided12 that she would throw herself upon charity. To begin with, she obtained some breakfast of a poor but 134charitable neighbor, and then started on a walk up town. It was not till she got as far as Fourteenth Street that she commenced her round of visits.
The first house at which she stopped was an English basement house. Granny rang the basement bell.
“Is your mistress at home?” she asked.
“Yes; what’s wanted?”
“I’m a poor widder,” whined13 granny, in a lugubrious15 voice, “with five small children. We haven’t got a bit of food in the house. Can’t you give me a few pennies?”
“I’ll speak to the missis, but I don’t think she’ll give any money.”
She went upstairs, and soon returned.
“She won’t give you any money, but here’s a loaf of bread.”
Mrs. Walsh would much have preferred a small sum of money, but muttered her thanks, and dropped the loaf into a bag she had brought with her.
She went on to the next block, and intercepted16 a gentleman just starting down town to his business.
“I’m a poor widder,” she said, repeating her whine14; 135“will you give me a few pennies? and may the Lord bless you!”
“Why don’t you work?” asked the gentleman, brusquely.
“I’m too old and feeble,” she answered, bending over to assume the appearance of infirmity. This did not escape the attention of the gentleman, who answered unceremoniously, “You’re a humbug17! You won’t get anything from me! If I had my way, I’d have you arrested and locked up.”
Her next application was more successful, twenty-five cents being sent to the door by a compassionate20 lady, who never doubted the story of the five little children suffering at home for want of food.
Granny’s eyes sparkled with joy as she hastily clutched the money. With it she could buy drink and tobacco, while food was not an object of barter21.
“The missis wants to know where you live,” said the servant.
Mrs. Walsh gave a wrong address, not caring to receive charitable callers, who would inevitably22 find 136out that her story was a false one, and her children mythical23.
At the next house she got no money; but on declaring that she had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, was invited into the kitchen, where she was offered a chair, and a plate of meat and bread was placed before her. This invitation was rather an embarrassing one; for, thanks to her charitable neighbor, granny had eaten quite a hearty24 breakfast not long before. But, having declared that she had not tasted food for twenty-four hours, she was compelled to keep up appearances, and eat what was set before her. It was very hard work, and attracted the attention of the servants, who had supposed her half famished25.
“You don’t seem very hungry,” said Annie, the cook.
“It’s because I’m faint-like,” muttered granny. At this moment her bag, containing the loaf of bread, tumbled on the floor.
“What’s that?” asked the cook, suspiciously.
“It’s some bread I’m goin’ to carry home to the childers,” said Mrs. Walsh, a little confused. “They 137was crying for something to ate when I come away.”
“Then you’d better take it home as soon as you can,” said Annie, surveying the old woman with some suspicion.
Granny was forced to leave something on her plate, nature refusing the double burden she sought to impose upon it, and went out with an uncomfortable sense of fulness. Resuming her rounds, she was repulsed26 at some places, at others referred to this or that charitable society, but in the end succeeded in raising twenty-five cents more in money. Fifty cents, a loaf of bread, and a little cold meat represented her gains of the morning, and with these she felt tolerably well satisfied. She had been compelled to walk up town, but now she had money and could afford to ride. She entered a Sixth Avenue car, therefore, and in half an hour or thereabouts reached the Astor House. She walked through the Park, looking about her carefully, in the hope of seeing Tom, who would certainly have fared badly if she had fallen into the clutches of the angry old woman. But Tom was nowhere visible.
138So granny plodded27 home, and, mounting to her room, laid away the bread and meat, and, throwing herself upon the bed, indulged in a pipe. Tom was not at home, and granny began to have apprehensions28 that she meant to stay away longer than she had at first supposed.
“But I’ll come across her some day,” said granny, vindictively29. “When I do I’ll break every bone in her body.”
The old woman lay on the bed two or three hours, and then went out, with the double purpose of investing a part of her funds in a glass of something strong, and in the hope that she might fall in with Tom. Notwithstanding the desire of vengeance30, she missed her. She had not the slightest affection for the young girl who had been so long her charge, but she was used to her companionship. It seemed lonely without her. Besides, granny had one of those uncomfortable dispositions31 that feel lost without some one to scold and tyrannize over, and, although Tom had not been so yielding and submissive as many girls would have been under the same circumstances, 139Mrs. Walsh had had the satisfaction of beating her occasionally, and naturally longed for the presence of her customary victim.
So, after making the purchase she intended, granny made another visit to the Park and Printing House Square, and inspected eagerly the crowds of street children who haunt those localities as paper-venders, peddlers, and boot-blacks. But Tom, as we know, was by this time an inmate32 of Mrs. Merton’s boarding-house,—the home found for her by her friend, the sea-captain. This was quite out of Mrs. Walsh’s beat. She had not anticipated any such contingency33, but supposed that Tom would be forced to earn her living by some of those street trades by means of which so many children are kept from starvation. It did not enter her calculations that, so soon after parting from her, Tom had also ceased to be a street Arab, and obtained a respectable home. Of course, therefore, disappointment was again her portion, and she was forced to return home and go to bed without the exquisite34 satisfaction of “breaking every bone in Tom’s body.”
140Granny felt that she was ill-used, and that Tom was a monster of ingratitude35; but on that subject there may, perhaps, be a difference of opinion.
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1
permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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earnings
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| n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得 | |
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tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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espy
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| v.（从远处等）突然看到 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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8
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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11
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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13
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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vindictively
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| adv.恶毒地；报复地 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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31
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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contingency
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| n.意外事件，可能性 | |
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34
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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35
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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