“Yes, sir.”
“I hope you like our village,” chimed in the lady.
“I don’t know,” said Tom. “I don’t like the people much.”
“Indeed! May I ask why?”
“They stared as me as if they had never seen a gentleman before, and one old woman stopped and wanted to know all about me.”
“She was born at a time when it wasn’t fashionable to be good-looking,” answered Tom. “She is short, wrinkled, and walks a little lame3.”
“That’s she.”
“I told her I was the grandson of General Washington’s first cousin,” said Tom, “and the old fright believed it.”
“I fear, my young friend, that you are not sufficiently4 regardful of the truth,” expostulated Mr. Middleton, with mild censure5.
“Oh, I was only chaffing. If she believes it, it won’t do her any harm.”
“I had a fight besides,” continued Tom.
“A fight! Not with Miss Peabody?” asked Mrs. Middleton, horror-stricken.
“Not much. I don’t fight with women,” said Tom. “It was with two boys. One said his father was a lawyer.”
“It must be James Davenport,” said Nathan, disturbed. “How came you to fight with him?”
“He and another fellow were pitching ball, and wouldn’t let me into the game, so I grabbed the ball, and they went for me.”
“Were you much hurt?”
“I wasn’t the one that was hurt,” said Tom significantly. “I laid them both flat and threw the ball into a corn-field.”
“Really,” said Mrs. Middleton, who stood in considerable awe6 of the lawyer’s family, “that was very unprincipled.”
“I regret exceedingly, my young friend,” said Nathan gravely, “that you should have committed an unprovoked assault upon the son and nephew of one of our first citizens.”
“They didn’t know you.”
“They know me now,” said Tom significantly.
“Was the ball lost?” asked Mr. Middleton, disturbed.
“Very likely. It wouldn’t be easy to find it in a corn-field.”
“Then you are responsible for the loss.”
“Oh, I am willing to pay for it. I told them so. If the old man——”
“The old man!”
“Yes, the lawyer—if he sends you a note about it, just pay it to him and charge to me.”
“How can I be sure that I shall be repaid?” inquired Nathan cautiously.
“Oh, I’ll see you paid. I’ve got twenty-five dollars in my pocket-book.”
“Still,” he said, “I regret this occurrence.”
“You must be very quarrelsome,” said Mrs. Middleton, who didn’t like Tom, and would have showed it much more plainly if he had been a poor boy.
“I suppose I am,” said Tom frankly9. “They used to call me the bully10 of the village, but I never tyrannized over weak boys. It’s only the upstarts and pretenders that I interfere11 with. Those boys I saw to-night need a few lessons in good manners.”
“My young friend, I fear you quite mistake their character. They stand high socially—very high—indeed I may say they belong to one of the first families, if not our very first. I had hoped you would find them congenial companions.”
Mr. and Mrs. Middleton exchanged looks of discomposure. They feared that Tom would get them on bad terms with the lawyer’s family, whom, like true sycophants14, they were disposed to fawn15 upon.
“We will talk of this another time,” said Nathan. “Whenever you are tired you are at liberty to retire. Is there anything you would like first?”
“Yes,” said Tom unexpectedly. “I should like something to eat.”
“I know it, but I have been walking, and am hungry.”
“It is very injurious to the health to eat just before going to sleep,” said Nathan, reinforcing his wife.
“I’ll take the risk,” said Tom coolly. “If I get sick no one will suffer but myself.”
“Corinthia, is there anything in the pantry?” asked Nathan deprecatingly, for he saw a frown on the face of his spouse16.
“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Middleton shortly. “Perhaps you are hungry, too,” she added sarcastically17.
“Does he call the supper hearty?” thought Tom. “I’ll bet the old woman won’t let him have what he wants to eat.”
Here Tom was mistaken, for Mr. and Mrs. Middleton were quite agreed in their notions of economy.
Very much against her will Mrs. Middleton produced some bread and butter, and on Tom’s specially19 calling for it, some meat. Her thin lips were compressed with displeasure, and she very evidently thought our hero a glutton20. If she expected her displeasure would produce the least effect on Tom, she was mistaken. He ate heartily—in fact, he ate all that was set before him.
“Have you had enough?” asked Mrs. Middleton sharply.
“It will do,” said Tom coolly.
“I am glad of it,” she retorted.
“Pleasant female that!” thought Tom. “She isn’t used to me yet. She’ll find it harder to starve me than she thinks.”
“Now, I think I’ll go to bed,” said Tom. “Oh, there’s one thing I forgot to mention; I noticed there was a straw-bed in my room.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Middleton. “Doesn’t it suit you?”
“Mr. Middleton and I sleep on a straw-bed.”
“It’s all right if you like it, but I don’t like it.”
“Really,” said Mrs. Middleton, who could not control herself at the bidding of policy as well as her husband, “if you are an inmate22 of our family, I think you will have to conform to our regulations.”
“Then,” said Tom, “I think I had better not trouble you any longer. I can easily find another boarding-place.”
But this did not suit Mr. Middleton. He could not bear the idea of giving up twenty dollars a week, and although it would cost money to buy a mattress, according to Tom’s unreasonable23 desire, and make more liberal arrangements for the table, all that could be done, and still a considerable margin24 be left for profit.
“My young friend,” he said, “Mrs. Middleton and I will talk over the matter and see what we can do. Of course our first desire is to make you as comfortable as possible.”
“I am glad to hear it,” said Tom, with the air of one who heard something unexpected.
“I hope you will have no cause to doubt it,” Nathan continued. “Good-night, and pleasant dreams.”
“He’s a perfect pig,” exclaimed Mrs. Middleton, when our hero had left the room. “I never in all my born days saw a boy eat so much.”
“He certainly has a good appetite,” said Nathan.
“He’ll eat us out of house and home,” said the lady indignantly.
“But you must remember, my dear, how well we are paid. You get six dollars a week clear profit, while out of my fourteen I have to pay the large expense of his board.”
“True,” said Mrs. Middleton, more calmly, “viewed in that light, it is well to keep him. But I ask you, Mr. Middleton, is it well to yield to all his unreasonable demands?”
“I hate him!” exclaimed Mrs. Middleton, with energy.
“I can’t say I like him,” said Nathan, “but I like the money I am to receive from him.”
The two talked together for an hour, Tom being the staple27 of their conversation. They were about to retire for the night, when a series of noises of a startling character resounded28 through the house, evidently proceeding29 from Tom’s chamber30.
“Goodness gracious!” exclaimed Mrs. Middleton. “What’s the matter?”
“Go up and see what is the matter, Mr. Middleton.”
“Come with me, Corinthia,” said Nathan, in tremulous accents. “He may be crazy.”
In a state of nervous apprehension32 the two made their way to the door of Tom’s room.
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1
blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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4
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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6
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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7
boorish
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| adj.粗野的，乡巴佬的 | |
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8
pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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9
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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10
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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11
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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12
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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13
snobs
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| （谄上傲下的）势利小人( snob的名词复数 )； 自高自大者，自命不凡者 | |
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14
sycophants
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| n.谄媚者，拍马屁者( sycophant的名词复数 ) | |
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15
fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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16
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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17
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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18
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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19
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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20
glutton
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| n.贪食者，好食者 | |
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21
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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22
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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23
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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25
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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26
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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27
staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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28
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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29
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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30
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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31
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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32
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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