Three large trunks and one small one were delivered at Mrs. Myers's front door before that first breakfast was disposed of; and Miss Almira remarked of the boys, a few minutes later,—
"How strong they are, especially Mr. Kinzer!"
"Don't make a mistake, Almira," said her mother in an undertone. "I'm glad the trunks are up stairs, but we mustn't begin by saying 'mister' to them. I've got all their first names. They mustn't get it into their heads that they're any thing more'n just so many boys."
She hurried up stairs, however; and it did not take long to make her new boarders "know their places," so far as their rooms were concerned. That house was largely made up of its one "wing," on the first floor of which was the dining-room and sitting-room1, all in one. In the second story of it were two bedrooms, opening into each other. The first and larger one was assigned to Dab2 and Ford3, and the inner one to Frank.
"Yours is a coop," said Ford to his friend from India; "but ours is big enough. You can come in here to study, and we'll fix it up prime. The stove's a queer one. Guess they burn wood up here mostly."
Of course, so long as there was a good "wood-lot" on the outlying farm that belonged to Mr. Hart's speculation4.
The stove was a little box of an affair, with two "griddles" on top, and was quite capable of warming that floor.
"She's putting Dick away in back somewhere," said Frank. "We must look and see what she's done for him."
The main building of that house was only big enough for a "hall," a good-sized parlor5 opening into it on the right, a bedroom and large closet back of that, and two rooms overhead; but the kitchen and milk-room back, which must have been stuck on at a later day, had only one wide, low garret of a room in the space under the roof. It was lighted by a dormer window, and it did not contain any stove. The floor was bare, except in the spot covered by an old rug before the little narrow bed; but there was a table and a chair, by standing6 on either of which Dick would be able to put his hand upon the unceiled rafters and boards of the roof. On the whole, it was a room well calculated to be as hot as possible in summer, and as cold as possible in winter, but that would do very well in spring and autumn. At all events, it was "as good as he had been used to at home." Mrs. Myers herself said that to Almira; and the answer was,—
"Guess it is, and better too."
Dick never dreamed of making any criticisms. In fact, his young brains were in a whirl of excitement, through the dust of which every thing in and about Grantley took on a wonderfully rosy8 color.
"Dis room?" he said to his inquiring friends when they looked in on him. "How does I like dis room? It's de bes' room in de house. I shall—study—hard—in—this—room."
"Bully9 for you," said Ford; "but you mustn't forget there's a stove in our room, when cold weather comes. Got your books out?"
"Here they are. I will pile them upon the table."
"Stick to it, Dick," said Ford. "But it's about time we set out for Dr. Brandegee's.—Dab, hadn't we better kindle10 a fire before we go? It makes me feel chilly11 to think of it."
"We'll all be warm enough before he gets through with us," said Dab. "But the sooner we get there, the better. Maybe there are other boys, and we must go in first."
"Come on, Dick."
Not one of them seemed to be in a hurry, in spite of Dab's prudent12 suggestion; and at the bottom of the stairs they were met by Mrs. Myers.
"Going for your examination? That's right. Dinner'll be ready at half-past twelve. When, school's opened, it will be a few minutes earlier, so you'll have plenty of time to eat and get back. Dick, as soon as your examination's over, I want you to come right back here, so I can finish making my arrangement with you."
"Yes, ma'am. I will return at once."
"You said that tip-top," said Dab, the moment they were on the sidewalk; "but I can't guess what she means. Ham Morris made all the bargain for you when he settled for me. S'pose it's all right, though."
"Course it is. I's got to work out half my board a-doin' chores. Jes' wot I's been used to all my life."
Frank Harley had seen a great many people, considering how young he was; and he had done less talking than the rest, that morning, and more "studying" of his landlady14 and her daughter. The results of it came out now.
"Tell you what, boys: if I'm not mistaken, Dick Lee'll pay more for his board than we will for ours."
"I don't care," said Dick bravely. "It's wuff a good deal to feed a boy like me."
His mother had told him so, many a time; and in that matter "Glorianna" had not been so far from the truth.
Ham Morris had indeed made a careful and particular bargain for Dick, and that his duties about the house should not interfere15 with his studies. He had done more; for he had insisted on buying Dick's text-books for him, and had made him promise to write to him about the way things went at Grantley.
Up the street marched the four new boys, still a little slowly, until
Ford broke out into a sudden word of encouragement,—
"Look here, boys, we're a set of wooden-heads! I'd like to know if we need be afraid of any thing Joe and Fuz Hart could go through?"
"Well, I guess not," replied Dab. "Let's push ahead."
He found himself leading the procession when it went through Dr. Brandegee's front gate; and there was a look of admiration16 on Dick's face, when he saw how promptly17 and courageously18 "Captain Dab Kinzer" pulled that door-bell.
"This way, please," said the servant who opened the door,—"into the library. The doctor'll see you in a minute."
"And we'll see him," muttered Ford, as they walked in, and he added in a whisper to Dick,—
"That's his portrait. There, over the mantel."
"Jes' so," said Dick, coming dangerously near smiling; "an' his name den13 was Oliver Cromwell, an' dey dressed him up in sheet iron."
That was the name printed under the engraving19; but the smile had barely time to fade from Dick's face, before a door opened on the opposite side of the room, and the dreaded20 Principal of Grantley Academy walked in.
"Good-morning, my young friends. Glad to see you so early."
His hand was out towards Dick Lee, as he spoke21; and they all had what Ford afterwards called "a good square shake of it," by the time they recovered their tongues, and replied to that genial22, hearty23, encouraging welcome.
Dick couldn't have helped it, if he had tried,—and he somehow forgot to try,—a broad grin of delight spread all over his face, as he looked up in that of the doctor.
The latter himself was smiling a good deal as if he could not help it, but he did not know the exact reason why every one of those boys looked so cheerful just then.
The thought in Ford's mind came within an inch of getting out over his tongue.
"Dwarf24? Why, he's more like a giant. How Joe and Fuz Hart did spin it!"
The great man was certainly a good "six feet two," and all his bodily proportions were correspondingly ample.
Frank Harley was the last to be shaken hands with, and so had time to think,—
"Afraid of him? Why, he's too big to be afraid of. We're all right."
That was the whole truth. Dr. Brandegee was too big, in mind as well as body, for any boy of their size to feel at all uneasy after the first half-minute of looking in his calm, broad, thoughtful face. Every member of that quartet began to feel a queer sort of impatience25 to tell all he knew about books.
The doctor mentioned the fact that he had that morning received letters from their parents and friends, announcing their arrival; but the oddity of it was that he seemed to know, at sight, the right name for each boy, and the right boy for each name.
"He might have guessed at Dick," thought Ford; "but how did he know me?"
Perhaps a quarter of a century spent in receiving, classifying, and managing young gentlemen of all sorts had given the man of learning special faculties26 for his work.
"I shall have to ask you a few questions, my young friends; but I think there will be little difficulty in assigning you your places and studies. Be seated, please."
That library was plainly a place where no time was to be wasted, for in less than a minute more Ford Foster was suddenly stopped in the middle of a passage of easy Latin,—
"That will do. Give me a free translation."
Ford did so, glibly27 enough; but there followed no word of comment, favorable or otherwise. Similar brief glimpses were taken of three or four other studies; and then the doctor suddenly remarked to him, in French,—
"Your father has written me very fully7 concerning your previous studies.
You are well prepared, but you have plenty of hard work before you."
Ford fairly strained his best French in the reply he made; and the doctor observed,—
"I see. Constant practice. I wish more parents would be as wise.—Mr.
Harley, I had not been informed that you spoke French. You noticed Mr.
Foster's mistake. Please correct it for him."
Frank blushed to his eyes, but he obeyed; and he hardly knew how it was, that, before the doctor's rapid questioning was over, his answers had included the whole range of his schooling28 and acquirements.
"Isn't dey doin' fine!" was the proud thought in the mind of Dick Lee.
"But jes' wait till he gits hol' ob Cap'n Dab!"
Dick's confidence in his friend was at least ten times greater than Dabney's in himself. The very air of the room he was in seemed, to the latter, to grow oppressively heavy with learning, and he dreaded his own turn more than ever. While he was waiting for it to come, however, some casual reference to Long Island by the doctor, and a question as to the precise character of its southern coast, rapidly expanded into a wider range of geography, upon the heels of which history trod a little carelessly, and other subjects came tumbling in, until Dabney discovered that he was computing29, at the doctor's request, sundry30 arithmetical results, which might with greater propriety31 have been reserved for his "examination." That, too, was the way poor Dick Lee came to make so bad a breakdown32. His shining face would have told, even to eyes less practised than those of Dr. Brandegee, exactly the answer, as to kind and readiness, which he would have made to every question put to his white friends. That is, unless he had been directly called upon to "answer out aloud." There is no telling what he would have done in such a case as that.
The doctor found out, for he quietly shifted his last question over Dab's left shoulder, and let it fall upon Dick in such a way as not to scare him.
"You's got me, dis time! Dat's de berry place whar we stopped at de end of our school, las' year."
"Then, I think I know about where it's best for you to begin. I'll have another talk with you about it, Richard. You must come up and see me again."
It was not a great deal to say; but the way in which he said it plainly added,—
"I mean to be your friend, my dear boy. I'll do all I can to help you along."
Dick understood it too, but he was feeling dolefully about his tongue just then.
"Missed fire de fust time!" he said to himself; but he carefully replied, aloud,—
"Thank you, sir. Will you tell me when to come?"
"To-night, right away after tea. Now, young gentlemen, I must bid you good-morning. Bear in mind that the first law of Grantley Academy is punctuality. I expect you to be in your places promptly at nine o'clock, Monday morning."
"We will, sir," said Dabney. "But will you please tell us when we are to be examined?"
"I believe, Mr. Kinzer, I have a fair idea of the use you have made of your books up to this time. No further examination will be necessary. I will see you all, with others, after school is opened, next Monday."
They were politely shown out of the library, but they did not clearly comprehend the matter until they had drawn33 each a good long breath in the open air.
"Dab," said Ford, "can't you see it?"
"I'm beginning to. Seems to me we've been through the sharpest examination I ever heard of. I say, Frank, do you know any thing he didn't make you tell him?"
"Nothing but Hindustanee and a little Teloogoo. Well, yes, I know a
Karen hymn34. He got all the rest, if I'm not mistaken."
There was no doubt at all but what Dr. Brandegee had gained a correct view of the attainments35 of his new pupils.
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1
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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dab
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| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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kindle
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| v.点燃，着火 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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courageously
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| ad.勇敢地，无畏地 | |
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19
engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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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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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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schooling
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| n.教育；正规学校教育 | |
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computing
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| n.计算 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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breakdown
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| n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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