“Here you are,” said the driver, with a final flourish of the whip.
“I see that, old chap,” said the boy; “but I don’t stop here.”
“Where are you goin’ to put up?”
“I suppose you mean Nathan Middleton. I don’t envy you. He keeps the meanest table in town.”
“Does he? Then I shall take the liberty to reform his table.”
“I don’t believe you can do it. There’s only one person in town meaner than old Middleton, and that’s his wife. What makes you board with them?”
“Can’t help it. He went to school with my father, and he left orders in his will that I should be taken care of by Middleton. You’ll take me up there?”
“All right.”
A few minutes later Tom Temple was deposited at the gate of his future guardian6. Nathan Middleton hastened to welcome him with the consideration due to so wealthy a boarder.
“My dear young friend,” he begun expansively, “I am indeed glad to welcome the son of my old friend to my humble7 home.”
If Mr. Middleton expected Tom to reply in a similar manner, he soon realized his mistake. Our hero was not one of the gushing8 kind.
“All right,” he answered coolly. “Will you help me in with my trunk?”
Mr. Middleton mechanically obeyed, not seeing his way clear to any more sentiment.
Mrs. Middleton appeared in the front entry as the trunk was set down.
“Corinthia, my dear, this is the son of my deceased friend, Stephen Temple.”
Mrs. Middleton’s thin figure was clad in a thin, slazy silk of very scant9 pattern, and her pinched features wore an artificial smile.
“How do you do, Mr. Temple?” she said.
“I’m well, but hungry,” responded Tom readily.
“Is tea nearly ready, Corinthia?” asked her husband.
“It will be ready in fifteen minutes. If you will show Mr. Temple to his room, he won’t have long to wait.”
The two together carried up Tom’s trunk, and deposited it in a scantily10 furnished chamber11, which it was announced he was to occupy.
“I hope, my young friend, you will like your apartment,” said Nathan.
Tom looked about him critically.
“I don’t see any rocking-chair,” he said.
“I was not aware that rocking-chairs were considered necessary in a sleeping apartment,” said Nathan, who did not fancy buying any extra furniture.
“I hope your spine is not affected,” said Mr. Middleton, rather astonished.
“It’s very weak,” said Tom gravely.
“You don’t look it,” said Nathan, surveying the strong form of his young friend.
“Appearances are deceitful,” said Tom sententiously.
“I will procure13 you a rocking-chair,” said Mr. Middleton, sighing at the thought of the extra expense. “I will now leave you to any little preparations you may desire to make. I will call you when supper is ready.”
So Tom was left alone.
Our hero sat down on the bed and reflected.
“I don’t fancy the old man’s looks,” he thought. “He looks mean, and so does his wife. I have an idea they’ll try to starve me, but if they do I’ll make it lively for them, or my name isn’t Tom Temple. I know, from what Sharp told me, that they are going to get a steep price for my board, and I don’t want them to make too much out of me. This bed is as hard as a brick. No wonder—it’s filled with straw. I suppose mattresses14 come too high. I see I shall have to give some lessons to my worthy15 friends on the subject of keeping house. I’ve got plenty of money, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t go in for comfort. I could stand hard fare if there was any need of it, but there isn’t.”
Soon the feet of Mr. Middleton were heard on the stairs.
“My young friend,” he said, as Tom opened the door at his gentle tap, “supper is ready.”
“What a very extraordinary boy!” thought Mr. Middleton. “Why should he call me old? I am older than he, to be sure, but I am not aged17.”
He led the way into the dining-room. Mrs. Middleton was already seated at the table. It did not look particularly inviting18. There was a plate of bread, cut in thin slices, a very small plate of butter, a plate of consumptive looking gingerbread and half a dozen slices of meat about the thickness of a wafer.
“Not much chance of overeating myself here,” thought Tom. “This won’t do at all.”
“Will you be seated, Mr. Temple,” said the lady. “Shall I give you some tea?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Corinthia poured out a cup of colored liquid, into which she poured about half a teaspoonful19 of milk and an extremely small portion of sugar.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” said Tom, “but I am not afraid of milk or sugar.”
“Really!” said the lady, not quite comprehending.
“I’ll put in the sugar and milk myself,” said Tom, and he deliberately20 poured out a part of his tea into the saucer, filling up with milk, and deposited two full spoonfuls of sugar in the same.
“You haven’t any objection, have you?” he asked coolly.
“Does it? That’s just what I thought of your way.”
“Shall I help you to a slice of meat, Mr. Temple?” asked Nathan.
“You’d better give me two or three; they seem to be very small,” said Tom.
Mrs. Middleton looked far from amiable24 as she heard this remark. Her husband contented25 himself with putting two of the wafers on his young friend’s plate.
“We don’t always have meat at supper,” said his wife, fearing that Tom would expect it as a general thing, “but we supposed your journey might make you hungry.”
“So it has. Mr. Middleton will you help me to more meat?” said Tom, who had already disposed of the two wafers.
Mr. and Mrs. Middleton exchanged glances of dismay.
“I think you’ll have to send for more,” said Tom coolly. “I’m delicate, and the doctor says I must eat plenty of meat.”
“My doctor tells me meat is injurious at supper,” said Mrs. Middleton, with emphasis.
“Tell him he doesn’t know much. Another piece of butter, Mr. Middleton, if you please? It would kill me to go without meat.”
“You don’t look delicate.”
“I am, though. I tried doing without meat at supper for a week, and what do you think happened?”
Mr. Middleton looked curious.
“I got up in the night—fast asleep, you know—and set the bed-clothes on fire. Came near burning up the house. All on account of not eating meat.”
“Bless my soul!” exclaimed Mrs. Middleton alarmed. “Do you walk in your sleep, Mr. Temple?”
“I think, Corinthia, you’d better get some meat,” said her husband, who looked anxious.
“Warm meat—beefsteak, for instance—is better than cold to make me sleep,” said Tom. “By the way, Mrs. Middleton, the butter is out, and so is the bread.”
“I never saw so voracious27 a boy,” said the lady to herself. “He really has an ungovernable appetite.”
But she got the bread and the butter. Tom generally managed to have his way.
In justice to him I must say that he had no more appetite than is usual to a hearty, growing boy, but Mr. and Mrs. Middleton stinted28 themselves out of regard to economy, and to them he seemed to eat enough for six.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
expressive
|
|
| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
lodging
|
|
| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
cargo
|
|
| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
guardian
|
|
| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
humble
|
|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
gushing
|
|
| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
scant
|
|
| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
scantily
|
|
| adv.缺乏地；不充足地；吝啬地；狭窄地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
procure
|
|
| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
mattresses
|
|
| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
aged
|
|
| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
inviting
|
|
| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
teaspoonful
|
|
| n.一茶匙的量；一茶匙容量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
wasteful
|
|
| adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
asperity
|
|
| n.粗鲁，艰苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
bridling
|
|
| 给…套龙头( bridle的现在分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
amiable
|
|
| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
hearty
|
|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
voracious
|
|
| adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
stinted
|
|
| v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |