CHAPTER XXXVI. A TIMELY HELPER.

Walking along Eighth Avenue, Scott Walton saw a boy coming out of Ezra Little's store with sad face and eyes red as with weeping. The boy was poorly dressed, and Scott's experience of poverty had been so recent that he felt quick sympathy.

"Are you in trouble? Can I assist you?" he asked, kindly¹.

Harold turned to see who was addressing him.

"I have just lost my place," he said, briefly².

"Were you working for Mr. Little?"

"Yes."

"How did you lose your place? Tell me, if you don't mind."

"I offended Mr. Little's son, Loammi. He got me discharged."

"I am not surprised to hear it. Loammi got me discharged some months ago."

"You!" exclaimed Harold, in surprise, for he noticed that Scott was handsomely dressed.

[Pg 306]

"Yes."

"But you are not a poor boy. You do not mind it."

"I was a poor boy then. How much salary did you receive?"

"Three dollars a week."

"I think I can promise you five dollars a week with another firm."

"Can you?" asked Harold, overjoyed. "But how can you? You are only a boy."

Scott smiled.

"I have some influence with the firm of Tower, Douglas & Co. I think they will take you on at my request. But where do you live, and what is your name?"

"I live at 940 Bleecker Street, and my name is Harold Kent."

"You are not related to Robert Kent?" said Scott, in excitement.

"He is my father."

"He is an Englishman, is he not?"

"Yes; do you know him?"

"Not yet, but I mean to. If you are going home, take me with you."

"I shall be glad to do so, but may I ask your name?"

[Pg 307]

"My name is Scott Walton. Our fathers were friends, and I will be your father's friend."

"I have heard my father speak of your family. He will be delighted to see you—and is your father living?"

"No; father is dead. I judge that you are poor."

"Yes, very poor. My father is an artist, but he has very little to do. Lately he has taken to portrait painting, but he only gets ten dollars for a portrait. Now he is sick with rheumatism³ and cannot work."

"Cheer up, Harold! Better times are in store for you. I am prosperous, and my father commissioned me to seek you out and help you."

Scott followed Harold up into the poor apartment occupied by his father. As he entered the room, Mr. Kent looked in surprise at his companion. "Is this one of your fellow clerks, Harold?" he asked.

"No, father. I have been discharged from Mr. Little's store, and I have no fellow clerks."

Mr. Kent's countenance⁴ fell.

"Then we have no income," he said, sadly. "It only needed this blow. Why were you discharged?"

"It was on account of Loammi Little, but don't[Pg 308] be troubled, father. I am to have a better place, at five dollars a week."

"Who will give it to you?"

"I will see that he has such a place, Mr. Kent," said Scott.

"But—why should you feel an interest in my poor boy?"

"Because my name is Scott Walton, and you were a friend of my poor father."

"Not John Walton's son?"

"Yes; I have been looking for you for a month. This evening fortune threw your son in my way. He tells me that you have been unfortunate."

"I am sick and out of work, but you—you look prosperous."

"I am."

"Did your father leave property?"

"No, but I have met with good friends."

"Has Ezra Little treated you better than he has Harold?"

"Ezra Little took me into his store, and after a few week discharged me, as a result of Loammi's meanness and falsehood. I met with other friends, secured another situation, and I am able to help you, Mr. Kent. I want you to find better rooms."

[Pg 309]

"But I cannot pay the rent of these."

Scott drew out his pocketbook and selected five ten-dollar bills.

"Take this," he said, "and when you have moved I will see what more I can do for you."

"Fifty dollars!" ejaculated the artist, in amazement⁵. "Can you afford this?"

"Easily. I will tell you later how I have prospered⁶."

"Won't you stop and eat supper with us, Mr. Walton?" asked Mrs. Kent.

"Gladly, if you will call me Scott. I want to ask Mr. Kent about his early acquaintance with my poor father."

The evening was spent in social chat, and it was ten o'clock before Scott left his new friends.

"I shall expect to see you on Monday morning at the store, Harold," he said, as he went away.

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

4 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

5 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

6 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。