The very poor pity the poor, and with a chivalric3 kindness which would have done credit to better reared lads, these two waifs of the streets stole softly from the littlest house without waking its small mistress.
When they were out upon the sidewalk, Billy shook his head and whispered, as if even there he might disturb her, “Poor little kid! He ain’t never comin’ back, sure! An’ me an’ you ’s got the job o’ lookin’ after her, same ’s he’d a liked. He was good to me, the cap’n was. An’ I’m thinkin’ Meg-Laundress’s ’ll be the best place to stow her. Hey?”
“Meg can’t. She’s chuck full. They ain’t a corner o’ her room but what’s slep’ in, an’ you know it,” responded Nick, hitching4 his buttonless knickers a trifle higher beneath the string-waistband which kept them in place.
“Where then, pard?”
Nick hesitated. On the day before he had developed a generosity5 which had surprised himself quite as much as it had Glory; but, if allowed room, generosity is a plant of rapid growth, so that now the once niggardly6 boy was ready with a plan that was even more astonishing. His thin face flushed and he pretended to pick a sliver7 from his foot as he answered:
“Let’s me an’ you hire the littles’ house an’ pay the rent ourselves an’ Goober Glory do our cookin’ an’ sewin’ an’–an’–quit yer foolin’, Billy Buttons! This ain’t no make-b’lieve, this ain’t. I plumb8 mean it.”
For, the instant of its suggestion, this wild scheme had sent the partner of Nick Dodd’s fortunes to turning somersaults which would have befitted an acrobat10. To put his head where his feet should be was Billy’s only way of relieving his emotion and he brought his gymnastics to an end, some distance down the Lane, by assuming a military uprightness and bowing profoundly to Nick, who joined him.
“That’s the ticket, pard! We’ll do it! We’ll do it! Wish to goodness I’d been the one to hatch it out, but does ye proud, parson. An’ how ’bout it? S’pose we two could sleep in his hammick?” asked Billy, his eagerness already outstripping11 Nick’s, as his liberality had always been greater.
Nick shook his head. Launched upon a course of reckless extravagance, he now hesitated at nothing.
“Nope. Nothin’. What’s the matter buyin’ ’nother? An’, say, we can sling12 ’em one top th’ other, like them berths13 in a sleepin’ car, an’ take turns which ’d be upper, which lower. ’Fore winter we’d get in a blanket an’ piller, though wouldn’t care much for ’em, in such a snug14 place, an’―”
“An’,” interrupted Billy, “we’d go snooks on the grub. Glory’d do her part chuckin’ in, ’sides the housekeep15. My! ’Twould be a home, a reg’lar home, ’at I hain’t never had! Cracky! I–I ’most hope he never does come now, though fer Take-a-Stitch–maybe―”
“He won’t never. Don’t ye scare on it, never. Say! Let’s hurry through our sellin’ an’ get it fixed16. An’ we’re late, a’ready.”
“All right!” and with visions of a delightful17 importance, that made them feel as if they were grown men, the little fellows scampered18 away through the morning twilight19 to obtain their day’s supply of newspapers, still damp from the press, for they had long ago learned that ’tis the early newsboy who catches the nickels and of these they must now have many. Neither realized that a property owner, even of a “littlest house,” would not be apt to trust it to a pair of youngsters like themselves, though to their credit it was that had their dream become reality, they would have done their utmost to follow the example of the former tenant20 to “pay as you go.”
They had long been shrilling21 themselves hoarse22 with their cries of “Sun’ ’Eral’Jour’Wor–rul’! Pape’s!” before Glory woke and found herself alone. By the light in the room and the hunger she felt, she knew that it must again be very late; and a feeling that her grandfather would be displeased23 with her indolence sent her to her feet with such speed that she awoke Bo’sn, till then slumbering24 soundly.
Bo’sn was no longer young and, stiff from an all day’s tramp–for he had faithfully followed the little girl’s tireless search of yesterday–he rose slowly and stretched himself painfully, with a growl25 at his own aching joints26. Then he sniffed27 suspiciously at the floor where the newsboys had slept and, nosing his master’s hammock, howled dismally28.
Having slept without undressing, Glory’s toilet was soon made and though a dash of cold water banished29 drowsiness30 from her eyes it made them see more clearly how empty and desolate31 the “littlest house” had now become, so desolate that she could not stay in it and running to Meg-Laundress’s crowded apartment, she burst in, demanding, “Has he come? Has anybody in the Lane seen my grandpa?”
Meg desisted from spanking32 the “baddest o’ them twins” and set the small miscreant33 upon the sudsy floor before she answered, cheerfully, “Not yet, honey. ’Tain’t scurce time to be lookin’ fer him, I reckon. When them old sailors gets swappin’ yarns34 needn’t―”
“But, Meg dear, he ain’t at any one of their houses. I’ve been to the hull35 lot–two er three times to each one, a-yest’day–an’ he wasn’t. An’ they think–I dastn’t think what they think! An’ I thought maybe–he always liked you, Meg-Laundress, an’ said you done his shirts to beat. Oh, Meg, Meg, what shall I do? Whatever shall I do?”
The warm-hearted washerwoman thrilled with pity for the forsaken36 child yet she put on her most brilliant surface-smile and answered promptly37:
“Do? Why, do jest what Jane an’ me laid out to have ye do. An’ that is, eat a grand breakfast. We ain’t such old friends o’ the cap’n’s an’ yet go let his folks starve. Me an’ Jane, we done it together, an’ the grocer-man threw in the rolls. There’s a cunnin’ little piece o’ porterhouse’s ever ye see, an’ ’taties–biled to the queen’s taste with their brown jackets on. Two of ’em, an’ no scantin’, nuther. No, you small rapscallions, ye clear out! ’Tain’t none your breakfasts, ye hear? It’s Goober Glory’s an’–you all, the half-dozen on ye, best clear out way beyant th’ Elbow an’ watch out fer the banan’ man! If he comes to the Lane, ma’s got a good wash on hand, an’–who knows?”
Away scampered Meg’s brood of children, assorted38 sizes, yet one and all with a longing39 for “banan’ cheap!” and sure that no amount of coaxing40 would give them a share in the savory41 breakfast which the two toiling42 women had provided for Glory.
Left comfortably free from crowding, Meg bustled43 about, removing from the small oven the belated “steak an’ ’taties” which had long been drying there. In this removal, she clumsily tilted44 the boiler45 in which her “wash” was bubbling and flavored the meal with a dash of soapsuds, but Glory was more hungry than critical, and far more grateful than either. Smiles and tears both came as she caught Meg’s wet hand and kissed it ecstatically, which action brought a suspicious moisture to Meg’s own eyes and caused her to exclaim, with playful reproof46:
“If you ain’t the beatin’est one fer huggin’ an’ kissin’! Well, then, set to; an’ hear me tell: this is what me an’ Jane has settled, how the very minute the cap’n heaves in sight down the Lane, on I claps the very pattron o’ that same stuff ye’re eatin’ for him, an’ calls it breakfast, dinner, er supper, as the case is. When folks have been off visitin’, like he has, they can’t ’spect to find things ready to hand to their own houses, same’s if they’d been round all the time. Now, eat, an’ ‘let your victuals47 stop yer mouth’!”
This was luxurious48 food for one accustomed to an oatmeal diet and Glory heartily49 enjoyed it, although she wished she could have given it to her grandfather instead, but she wasn’t one to borrow trouble and relied upon Meg’s word that a similar repast should be forthcoming when the seaman50 required it. She did not know that the very odor of the food set the washerwoman’s own mouth to watering and that she had to swallow fast and often, to convince herself that her own breakfast of warmed-over coffee and second-hand51 rolls was wholly sufficient. In any case, both she and Posy Jane had delighted in their self-sacrifice for the little “Queen of the Lane,” in their hearts believing that the child was now orphaned52, indeed.
It is amazing how, when one is extremely hungry, even two whole potatoes will disappear, and very speedily Glory found that the cracked plate from which she had eaten was entirely53 empty, but, also, that the uncomfortable hunger had disappeared with its vanished contents. She sprang up, ran to the spigot, washed and wiped the plate, and restored it to its place on Meg’s scanty54 cupboard, then announced:
“I shall tell my grandpa how good all you dear, dear folks has been to me while he–he was off a-visitin’. An’ he’ll do somethin’ nice for you, too, he will. My grandfather says ‘giff-gaff makes good friends,’ an’ ‘one kind turn ’serves another.’ He knows a lot, grandpa does; an’ me an’ him both thanks you, Meg-Laundress–you darlin’!”
Away around the big neck of the woman at the tub went Glory’s slender arms, and when the patient toiler55 released herself from this inconvenient56 embrace, there was something besides soapsuds glistening57 on her hot cheek.
“Bless ye an’ save ye, honey sweetness, an’ may yer guardian58 angel keep ye in close sight, the hull endurin’ time!” cried the laundress, wiping her eyes with a wet towel to disguise that other moisture which had gathered in them. “An’ now, be off with ye to the little Eyetalian with the high-soundin’ name. Sure, ’twas Nick, the parson, hisself, what seen them fifty-five centses was in the right hands, an’ not scattered59 by that power o’ young ones as was hangin’ round when the lady give ’em.”
“Did he take them? Oh, I’m so glad an’ it’s queer he should ha’ forgot to tell me last night. Never mind, though. I ain’t goin’ to peddle60 to-day. I shan’t peddle no more till I find grandpa. I couldn’t. I couldn’t holler even, worth listenin’. An’ who’d buy off a girl what can’t holler?”
“Hmm. I don’ know. Hollerin’s the life o’ your trade, same’s rub-a-dub-dubbin’ ’s the life o’ mine, er puttin’ the freshest flower to the front the bunch is o’ Jane’s. But, land, ‘Queenie,’ you best not wait fer the cap’n. Best keep a doin’, an’ onct you’re at it again, the holler’ll come all right. Like myself–jest let me stan’ up afore this here tub an’ the wash begins to do itself, unbeknownst like. Don’t you idle. Keep peddlin’ er patchin’, though peddlin’s the least lonesome, an’ the time’ll fly like lightnin’. It’s them ’at don’t do nothin’ ’at don’t know what to do. Ain’t many them sort in the Lane, though, thank the dear Lord. Hey? What?”
For Glory still lingered in the doorway61 and her face showed that she had no intention of following the laundress’s most sensible advice. So when that loquacious62 woman paused so long that the little girl “could get a word in edgewise,” she firmly stated:
“No Meg, dear Meg, I shan’t peddle a single goober till I’ve found my grandpa. Every minute of every hour I’m awake I shall keep a-lookin’. He hain’t got nobody but me left an’ I hain’t got nobody but him. What belongs, I mean. ’Course, they’s all you dear Lane folks an’ I love you, every one. But me an’ him–I–I must, must find him. I’m goin’ to start right away now, an’–thank you, thank you an’ dear Posy Jane–an’–good-bye!”
This time it was Meg who caught the other in her arms and under pretense63 of smoothing tumbled curls, hugged the child in motherly yearning64 over her; then she gave her a very clean-smelling, sudsy kiss and pushed her toward the door, crying rather huskily:
“Well, run away now, any gate. If to peddlin’ ’twould be best; if to s’archin’ fer one old blind man in this big Ne’ York what’s full of ’em as haymows o’ needles, so be it, an’ good luck to ye. But what am I to be preachin’ work an’ practicin’ play? Off with ye an’ hender me no more!”
So to the tune9 of a vigorous rub-a-dub-dub, Glory vanished from her good friend’s sight, though the hearts of both would have ached could they have foreseen how long delayed would be their next meeting.
Comforted and now wholly hopeful that her determined65 search would have a speedy, happy ending, Take-a-Stitch hurried back to the littlest house whose narrow door stood open to its widest, yet she paused on the threshold, amazed, incredulous, not daring to enter and scarcely daring to breathe, lest she disturb the wonderful vision which confronted her.
For the desolate home was no longer desolate. There was one within who seemed to fill its dim interior with a radiance and beauty beyond anything the child of the Lane had ever dreamed. Meg’s words and wish returned to her and, clasping her hands, she cried in rapture66, “Oh! it’s come! My Guardian Angel!”
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1
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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chivalric
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| 有武士气概的，有武士风范的 | |
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hitching
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| 搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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niggardly
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| adj.吝啬的，很少的 | |
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sliver
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| n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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acrobat
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| n.特技演员，杂技演员 | |
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11
outstripping
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的现在分词 ) | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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13
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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14
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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housekeep
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| vi.自立门户，主持家务 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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18
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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21
shrilling
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的现在分词 )； 凄厉 | |
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22
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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24
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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25
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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27
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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31
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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32
spanking
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| adj.强烈的，疾行的；n.打屁股 | |
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33
miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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34
yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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35
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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36
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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37
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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38
assorted
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| adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的 | |
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39
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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40
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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41
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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42
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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43
bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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44
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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45
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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46
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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47
victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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48
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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49
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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50
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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51
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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52
orphaned
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| [计][修]孤立 | |
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53
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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54
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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55
toiler
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| 辛劳者，勤劳者 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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59
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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60
peddle
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| vt.(沿街)叫卖，兜售；宣传，散播 | |
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61
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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62
loquacious
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| adj.多嘴的，饶舌的 | |
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63
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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64
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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