The room was deep, and allowed of a long table, large enough for the accommodation of sixteen boarders. Mrs. White, the landlady1, did not herself sit down to the table, but superintended the servants, who acted as waiters.
“Where shall I sit, Mrs. White?” asked Gilbert.
“You may sit here, between Mr. Ingalls and Miss Brintnall.”
97Neither of these persons had appeared, but Gilbert took the seat pointed2 out.
One by one the boarders entered, until the table was full. Gilbert looked about him with considerable curiosity. Mr. Ingalls proved to be a young man of twenty-five, who was employed in a wholesale3 stationery4 store in William Street. Miss Brintnall was an elderly-looking young lady, who was engaged as teacher in one of the public schools of the city. Her face was of a masculine type, and Gilbert was not surprised to hear that she was a strong advocate of woman’s rights.
Just opposite were seated Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Bower5. He was clerk in a dry goods house, and had been but three months married. He was an inoffensive young man, with hair parted in the middle, who appeared to be very fond of his young wife, who wore long ringlets, and seemed quite a fitting match for her husband. Gilbert was rather amused by the manner in which they addressed each other.
“Theophilus, my love, may I pass you the salt?”
“Yes, my dear.”
98Occasionally, that is, as often as opportunity offered, they would press each other’s hands under the table, the pressure being accompanied by a languishing6 look, which nearly upset the gravity of Mr. Ingalls, who, in his endeavors to suppress his merriment, once came so near choking that he had to leave the table.
On the other side of Mr. Ingalls sat an actor at one of the city theatres, with his wife. He seldom engaged in general conversation, but spoke7 in low tones to his wife. Whether this sprang from natural reserve, or from his mind being preoccupied8 with his business, opinion was divided; but the natural consequence was that he was unpopular.
There were several other boarders, who will be referred to in due time. Among them may be mentioned Alphonso Jones, a man of thirty, whose seedy attire9 would seem to indicate limited means, but who lost no opportunity of boasting of his aristocratic connections, and his intimacy10 with the best society.
Mr. Ingalls was the first to notice his young neighbor. Mrs. White had introduced Gilbert to his right 99and left hand neighbor, but left him to make acquaintance with the rest as he could.
“Have you been long in the city, Mr. Greyson?” he asked.
“No,” said Gilbert, “but a few days.”
“I suppose you are on business?”
“I am in a broker’s office on Wall Street.”
“And I am in a wholesale stationery store not far from Wall Street. If you have no better company, we might go down-town together in the morning.”
“Thank you, I should like company.”
“That is, if you walk; I never ride except on stormy days.”
“Nor shall I. It’s only two miles, I believe.”
“Scarcely that; some think two miles a long walk. My brother from Boston, who was here for a while, complained a good deal of the long distances in New York. In Boston business men have much less distance to travel.”
“I never was in Boston,” said Gilbert. “Is it a pleasant city?”
“It is the ‘Hub of the Universe,’ you know; so 100Dr. Holmes calls it, at any rate. Yes, it is a pleasant city, but small, of course, compared with New York. How did you happen to come to this boarding-house?”
“I saw a notice outside that boarders would be taken.”
“I hope you will like it.”
“I hope so. I am not very difficult to suit.”
“You have not been long in your place of business, I suppose.”
“No; I went there only to-day. I have always been at school till now.”
“Out of the city?”
“Yes, at Dr. Burton’s Boarding School, at Westville.”
“I have heard of it.”
Then, lowering his voice, he said, “I see, Mr. Greyson, you are looking at the happy couple opposite.”
“They seem very happy,” said Gilbert, smiling.
“Oh, yes, they are wrapt up in each other. However, that is better than to quarrel all the time. Do 101you see that tall, thin man at the end of the table, and the lady at his side?”
“Yes.”
“There isn’t much love-making between them. They have a room adjoining mine, and I have the privilege of listening to some of their disputes.”
“Who are they?”
“Major McDonald and his wife. He is Scotch11, I believe. They married each other for their money, I hear, and then discovered that neither had any to speak of.”
The conversation was interrupted by Miss Brintnall, who was expressing her views on woman’s rights.
“In my opinion,” she said, “man is a cruel and despotic tyrant12. He monopolizes13 the good things of this life, and only throws an occasional crumb14 to poor, ill-used women. Women, for the same work, are paid less than half as much as men. Take myself, for example. I work just as hard as the principal of my school, yet he gets three dollars to my one. Now, I want to know where is the justice of that?”
102“Perhaps,” suggested Mr. Bower, “he has a wife and children to support. You haven’t, you know, Miss Brintnall. Of course, you couldn’t, you know,” he added, with a simper.
“I might have a husband and children to support, I suppose,” said Miss Brintnall, severely15.
“If that is the case, Miss Brintnall,” said Mr. Ingalls, humorously, “you ought to let us know, that we may not cherish vain hopes.”
Miss Brintnall smiled; she generally did smile on Mr. Ingalls, who was a favorite of hers. Indeed, it was generally thought at the table that she would have had no objection to becoming Mrs. Ingalls, though the young man certainly had never given her any encouragement, save by such jocular remarks as the foregoing.
“You will have your joke, Mr. Ingalls,” she said good-humoredly; “but to return to my argument. Is there any one present that can deny the correctness of my statement, that man is a tyrant?”
“I can,” said little Mrs. Bower, indignantly. “My Theophilus isn’t a tyrant, are you, dear?”
103“I hope not, my love,” he answered, pressing her hand under the table.
Mr. Ingalls came near swallowing a piece of meat the wrong way, and Miss Brintnall sniffed16 contemptuously.
“There may be exceptions,” she said, “but they only prove the rule; even in your own case, Mrs. Bower, you may change your mind some years hence.”
“I never shall, I am sure. Shall I, Theophilus, dear?”
“No, my love.”
Here Mr. Ingalls squeezed Gilbert’s hand under the table, with a comic look, which proved very trying to our hero’s gravity.
Miss Brintnall received unexpected help from Mrs. McDonald.
“I agree with you entirely17, Miss Brintnall,” said that lady, “and I don’t believe there are any exceptions. Men always try to domineer over women.”
“My experience is the other way,” said the major.
104“Of course, I expected to hear you say so,” said the lady, tossing her head.
“Men are very forbearing, in my opinion,” proceeded the major.
“And very unselfish, I suppose,” sneered18 his wife.
“That’s where you hit the nail on the head, ma’am.”
“I think,” said Alphonso Jones, “it depends very much on social rank. I have the privilege of being intimately acquainted with some of our very highest families, and I can assure you that they are very harmonious19. Among the lower orders, no doubt, men often act like brutes20; but it is from lack of refinement21. My friends, the Tiptops, who have their villa22 at Newport, never exchange a rude word. I think you are too sweeping23 in your remarks, Miss Brintnall.”
“I have not the honor of knowing your grand friends, Mr. Jones,” said Miss Brintnall, sarcastically24; “but I contend that human nature is everywhere the same. Money and rank don’t change it. I think 105it very likely that some of your Fifth Avenue grandees25 beat their wives.”
“O Miss Brintnall!” exclaimed Mr. Bower and Mr. Jones in chorus.
“Yes, I do believe it. I won’t take a word back.”
“I don’t believe your husband will ever beat you, Miss Brintnall,” said Mr. Ingalls, slyly.
“I think not,” said the teacher, decidedly. “I should allow him all the rights which he could fairly claim, but I would not let him infringe26 upon mine.”
“I wouldn’t marry her for a million dollars,” whispered Mr. Bower to his wife.
“Isn’t she horrid27?” was the shuddering28 reply.
Here some one started a new topic of conversation, and Miss Brintnall subsided29.
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1
landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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stationery
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| n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封 | |
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bower
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| n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽 | |
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languishing
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| a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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7
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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8
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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9
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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10
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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11
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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12
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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monopolizes
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| n.垄断( monopolize的名词复数 )；独占；专卖；专营v.垄断( monopolize的第三人称单数 )；独占；专卖；专营 | |
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14
crumb
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| n.饼屑，面包屑，小量 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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25
grandees
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| n.贵族，大公，显贵者( grandee的名词复数 ) | |
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26
infringe
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| v.违反，触犯，侵害 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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