CHAPTER XXI. — SAM OBTAINS A PLACE.

 Having disposed of his circulars, Sam went up to the office.

 

"Have you distributed all the circulars?" asked the doctor.

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Well, here's the ten cents I promised you."

 

Sam took it, but stood his ground.

 

"I sent you up a customer," he said.

 

"A patient; yes."

 

"And you made two dollars out of him."

 

"Who told you?"

 

"He did."

 

"I charged him my regular price. What of that?" asked the doctor, not comprehending Sam's meaning.

 

"He wouldn't have come up if it hadn't been for me. I think I'd ought to have a commission."

 

"Oh, that's it," said the doctor. "That doesn't follow. He came up because of the circular."

 

"No, he didn't," said Sam. "He came up because I told him what a great doctor you was."

 

The doctor thought over Sam's proposal, and, being a sharp man, he decided¹ that it was for his advantage to secure an alliance with him.

 

"You are right," he said. "You are entitled to something."

 

Sam brightened up.

 

"Here is a quarter in addition to the ten cents I just gave you."

 

"Thank you, sir," said Sam, gratified.

 

"Shall I go down, and give away some more circulars?" he asked.

 

"Yes; I'll give you another hundred. Don't give them away too fast. It's of no use to give to children."

 

"All right, sir."

 

So Sam went down into the street. The first passer-by was a boy of twelve.

 

"Give me one of them papers," he said.

 

Rather to his surprise Sam did not immediately comply. He first asked a question.

 

"Have you got a dollar?"

 

"A dollar! You don't want a dollar for that paper, do you?"

 

"No; but I aint goin to waste it on you unless you've got a dollar."

 

"What do I want of a dollar?" asked the boy, surprised.

 

"To pay for havin' your corn cured."

 

The boy burst into a laugh.

 

"I aint got no corns," he said.

 

"Then go along, and don't bother me. You're no good."

 

A young dandy advanced, dressed in the height of fashion, swinging a light cane² in his lavender-gloved hand. A rose was in his button-hole, and he was just in the act of saluting³ a young lady, when Sam thrust a circular into his hand.

 

"Go right upstairs," he said, "and get your corns cured. Only a dollar."

 

The young lady burst into a ringing laugh, and the mortified⁴ dandy reddened with mortification⁵.

 

"Keep your dirty paper to yourself, boy," he said. "I am not troubled with those—ah, excrescences."

 

"I never heard of them things," said Sam. "I said corns."

 

"Stand out of my way, boy, or I'll cane you," exclaimed the incensed⁶ fop.

 

"Your cane wouldn't hurt," said Sam, regarding the slight stick with disdain⁷. "Never mind; you needn't go up. I don't believe you've got a dollar."

 

This was rather impudent⁸ in Sam, I acknowledge; and the dandy would have been glad to chastise⁹ him.

 

"Miss Winslow," he said, "I hope you won't mind the rudeness of this—ah, ragamuffin."

 

"Oh, I don't," said the young lady, merrily; "he amuses me."

 

"So he does me; ha, ha! very good joke," said the dandy, laughing too, but not very merrily. "I hope you are quite well to-day."

 

"Thank you, quite so. But don't let me detain you, if you have an engagement upstairs."

 

"I assure you," protested the young man, hurriedly, "that I have no intention of going up at all."

 

"Then I must say good-morning, at any rate, as I am out shopping;" and the young lady passed on.

 

"I've a great mind to flog you," said the dandy, frowning at Sam. "I would if you wasn't so dirty. I wouldn't like to soil my hands by taking hold of you."

 

"That's lucky for you," said Sam, coolly.

 

The answer was a withering¹⁰ frown, but Sam was tough, and not easily withered¹¹.

 

"Aint he stuck up, though?" thought he, as the young man left him. "He don't seem to like me much."

 

"Have you got any corns, sir?" he asked, thrusting a paper into the hands of a portly gentleman with a merry face.

 

The gentleman laughed.

 

"Really, my boy," he said, "that is a very singular question."

 

"Is it?" said Sam. "I don't know why."

 

"Why do you ask?"

 

"Because Dr. Graham upstairs will cure you before you know it. It's only a dollar."

 

"You are sure you are not Dr. Graham, yourself?" said the stout¹² man, regarding Sam with an amused expression.

 

"If I was, I'd wear better clothes," said Sam. "He makes lots of money, the doctor does."

 

"You'd better learn the business, my young friend."

 

"I guess I will, if he'll learn me," said Sam. "It'll pay better than standin' here, givin' away papers."

 

"Don't that pay?"

 

"Not very well," said Sam. "I only get ten cents a hundred."

 

"Can you pay your board out of that?"

 

"No, but I make commissions, besides," said Sam.

 

"How is that?" asked the stout gentleman, in some curiosity.

 

"If you'd gone upstairs, and had two corns cured, the doctor,—he'd have given me a quarter."

 

"Would he really?"

 

"Yes, he would. Hadn't you better go?"

 

"I have no occasion for Dr. Graham's services, at present," said the gentleman, laughing, "but still I don't want you to lose by me. Here's a quarter," producing the same from his vest-pocket, and giving it to Sam. "Isn't that just as well as if I had gone up?"

 

"Thank you, sir. You're a gentleman," said Sam. "Do you come by here often?"

 

His new acquaintance laughed. "Every day," he answered, "but I don't give away quarters every day. If you expect that, I am afraid I shall have to walk on the other side of the street. Good-morning, and success to you."

 

"Good-mornin'," said Sam.

 

"Well, here's luck," thought Sam. "I like this business pretty well. I've made sixty cents already, and the doctor's goin to pay me ten cents more. That'll buy me a good, square dinner, and take me to the Old Bowery besides."

 

So Sam continued distributing his circulars. Some into whose hands they were thrust did not appear to be suitably grateful; and, though on the lookout¹³ for a customer, he did not succeed in finding any, till by good luck the last circular was placed in the hands of a man who was in search of just the relief which it promised.

 

"Where is Dr. Graham's office?" he inquired.

 

"Right upstairs, No. 10," said Sam, eagerly. "You just follow me, I'll show you."

 

"I think I can find it without you," said the other.

 

"Oh, I can go up just as well as not," said Sam, who had a special object, as we know, in serving as guide.

 

"Very well. Go ahead, and I will follow you."

 

Upstairs went Sam, the new patient following him.

 

"I've brought another," said Sam, as he burst into the office.

 

The doctor, though glad of another patient, was rather vexed¹⁴ at the style of Sam's announcement.

 

"Very well," he said. "Sit down there, till I have leisure to attend to you."

 

"All right, sir," said Sam, sitting down on the sofa in the outer office, and taking up the morning "Herald¹⁵."

 

In twenty minutes the patient departed, relieved.

 

"Now," said Dr. Graham, addressing Sam, "I have something to say to you. When you bring in a patient again, don't break out as you did just now: 'I've brought another.' I was very much mortified."

 

"What shall I say, then?" asked Sam.

 

"You needn't say anything, except 'This is Dr. Graham, sir.'"

 

"Very well," said Sam, "I'll remember. How much did you make out of him?"

 

"Don't speak in that way. My charges were three dollars."

 

"How much are you going to give me?"

 

"There's thirty cents."

 

"I think I'll go and get some dinner, now," said Sam. "Will you want me to-morrow?"

 

"I've been thinking," said the doctor, "that I would engage you as my office-boy."

 

"What would I have to do?"

 

"Stay in the office when I am away, and distribute circulars when I want you to."

 

"How much will you pay me?"

 

"Three dollars a week."

 

"And commissions too?"

 

"No; we'll say four days without commissions."

 

"All right, sir. I'll be on hand to-morrow mornin'."

 

"I've got a place, at last," thought Sam, in exultation¹⁶. "Now, I'll go to dinner."

 

1 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。

2 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

3 saluting   

v.欢迎，致敬( salute的现在分词 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• 'Thank you kindly, sir,' replied Long John, again saluting. “万分感谢，先生。”高个子约翰说着又行了个礼。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• He approached the young woman and, without saluting, began at once to converse with her. 他走近那年青女郎，马上就和她攀谈起来了，连招呼都不打。 来自辞典例句

4 mortified   

v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等）

参考例句：

• She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了，直羞得无地自容。
• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 mortification   

n.耻辱，屈辱

参考例句：

• To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是：我的稿件被退了回来。
• The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。

6 incensed   

盛怒的

参考例句：

• The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
• They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。

7 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

8 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

9 chastise   

vt.责骂，严惩

参考例句：

• My father used to chastise my brothers with whips.父亲过去常以鞭打惩罚我的兄弟。
• Should I applaud my husband or chastise him?我是该称赞还是责罚我的丈夫呢？

10 withering   

使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的

参考例句：

• She gave him a withering look. 她极其蔑视地看了他一眼。
• The grass is gradually dried-up and withering and pallen leaves. 草渐渐干枯、枯萎并落叶。

11 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

13 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。

14 vexed   

adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
• He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

16 exultation   

n.狂喜，得意

参考例句：

• It made him catch his breath, it lit his face with exultation. 听了这个名字，他屏住呼吸，乐得脸上放光。
• He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. 他一点都激动不起来。