It was a large office on the ground floor, with a counter and a cashier’s desk. Considerable business appeared to be transacted1 there, to judge from the number of clerks and of visitors.
“Well, young man, what can I do for you?” inquired a young man.
It was a son of Mr. Mellish, the head of the firm.
Tom presented a few lines from Mr. Julian, authorizing2 the firm to pay him the quarterly interest due on Mr. Julian’s securities.
The young man glanced his eye over it rapidly.
“Will you have a check or the money?” he asked.
“The money,” answered Tom.
“Very well. I will make out a check, and our cashier will give you the money on it.”
Five minutes later—perhaps in less time—Tom had placed in his hands two hundred and fifty dollars. He had not supposed the business would be transacted so easily. In his eyes two hundred and fifty dollars was an79 immense sum, and he had some private doubts whether, in spite of Mr. Julian’s letter, they would be willing to pay it to an unknown boy like him. It even occurred to him that it might be inconvenient3 for the firm to pay out so much money, and they might put him off till another day. But he didn’t know how things were done in Wall Street.
Next to him was a boy of about his own age, who quietly gave an order for the purchase of five hundred shares of some kind of stock, at 89. Tom calculated that this purchase would amount to over forty thousand dollars. Yet the order was taken as a matter of course.
“There must be a good deal of money in New York,” thought Tom, not unnaturally4.
As he was going out of the office, a bootblack stepped up to him and said, jocosely5:
“Say, young feller, couldn’t you lend me a thousand dollars till to-morrer? I’ve got a big payment to make, and I’m short.”
As the young applicant6 for a loan was dressed in a ragged7 costume of unknown antiquity8, Tom, of course, understood the joke.
“I’ve got a big payment to make myself,” he answered, “and I can’t spare any money to-day.”
“All right!” said the bootblack, nonchalantly, “I’ll go and see Astor or Vanderbilt. I guess one of ’em will let me have the money.”
“You didn’t take me for either of them, did you?” asked Tom.
“Oh, no; I knew you was A. T. Stewart,” said the boy, winking9.
80
Tom laughed and walked up toward Broadway.
He was a little nervous about carrying so much money about with him. If he should lose it there would be no possibility of making it up. He put it into his inside coat pocket and buttoned up his coat tight.
As he was turning out of Wall Street he was addressed by a man of thirty or thereabouts, who had seen him come out of the office of Mellish & Co., though Tom did know that.
“My young friend,” he said, “have you five minutes to spare?”
Tom looked up at the clock on Trinity Church and saw that it was not yet eleven o’clock.
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“I see you have no watch,” began the stranger.
“Is he going to give me one?” thought Tom.
“A young man of your age ought to have a watch. Now I’m going to make you an offer—a splendid offer—the chance of a life-time. Do you see that watch?”
He drew out what appeared to be a gold watch of rather a pretty pattern.
“I see it,” said Tom, wondering what was to come next.
“I want to sell it. The fact is, I’ve got a note to meet at three o’clock, and must have some money. The watch is worth seventy-five dollars. I will sell it to you for twenty-five.”
“You must be in great want of money,” said Tom, not meaning to be sarcastic10.
“I am; but that is not the only consideration. I really81 don’t need the watch, for I have another at home. Say the word, and the watch is yours at twenty-five dollars—dirt cheap, I can assure you.”
“It may be,” said Tom—he really thought it was—“but I can’t afford to buy it.”
“Buy it then on speculation11. Why, I venture to say you can double your money on it in a week, if you will look about a little for a purchaser who knows a good thing when he sees it.”
“Then why are you willing to sell for so small a sum?” asked our hero.
“Why? Because my commercial credit depends on my meeting my note, and credit is worth a great deal more to me than the small sum I should lose by the transaction. Then, besides, if any one is going to profit by it, I should like to have you.”
“Why?” asked Tom.
“Because you look like a gentleman. You look like a cousin of mine, now in Europe. He is a smart fellow, and very good looking,” added the stranger, meditatively12.
“I wonder whether he means all that,” thought Tom, “or is he only giving me taffy.”
He looked at the watch, and it certainly did look tempting13. If the money in Tom’s pocket had been really his, I am inclined to think he would have bought it, but he was too honest to think for a moment of appropriating the money in his pocket.
“The watch may be a very good one,” he said, “but I can’t buy it; I haven’t got the money.”
82 “Couldn’t you borrow twenty-five dollars? I don’t know but I would say a little less.”
“It would be of no use,” said Tom, shaking his head.
The watch was galvanized, and possibly worth one-fifth as much as Tom was invited to pay for it, so that he had a narrow escape.
“I wonder if I look like a capitalist!” thought Tom. “Here, within ten minutes, I’ve been asked to buy a gold watch, and to lend a thousand dollars. I don’t remember that anybody ever asked me anything of the kind in Wilton.”
Tom walked up Broadway till he came to the Astor House.
It was but eleven o’clock, and it was not yet time to meet Darius Darke. He therefore passed on, and walked slowly up that wonderful street, watching with mingled14 interest and curiosity, the shops and the display of goods therein. He was especially interested in a large ready-made clothing store, and the overcoats about the door.
Tom was very much in want of an overcoat. In fact, though it was a cold day, he had none on at that very moment. He reflected that he had ten dollars of his own, the sum sent him by Darius Darke. As his traveling expenses were paid by Mr. Julian, he had not been obliged to trench15 on that fund.
“If I could get an overcoat for five dollars, I don’t know but I’d buy one,” he said to himself.
He entered, and inquired the prices of several articles in that line, but he found, to his disappointment, that ten dollars was the lowest price.
83 While he was standing16 in the store, a gentleman of moderate size made choice of one of the best overcoats sold by the firm.
“Shall we send your overcoat home?” asked the salesman.
The gentleman shrugged17 his shoulders.
“I suppose you may as well, though I don’t expect ever to wear it again.”
Then, glancing at Tom, who was on the point of leaving the store, he said:
“My boy, I see you have no overcoat. Will you consider it an insult if I offer you my old one?”
“No, sir; I would accept it, with thanks,” answered Tom, quickly.
“Then it is quite at your service. You will find it not over half worn but it never fitted me, and that is why I lay it aside.”
Tom lost no time in trying on the coat. It could not have fitted him better if it had been made for him. It was a gray mixed cloth, well made, and did not look to be even half-worn.
“I am very much obliged to you, sir,” said Tom, gratefully.
“Oh, don’t mention it! Glad it will be of service to you. Good-morning.”
“It appears to me I am in luck,” thought Tom, surveying his new overcoat complacently18. “I wonder if such things often happen in New York. My visit to New York is likely to prove a success.”
At five minutes to twelve Tom reached the Astor House, and took a position on the steps.
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1
transacted
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| v.办理（业务等）( transact的过去式和过去分词 )；交易，谈判 | |
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2
authorizing
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| 授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 ) | |
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3
inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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4
unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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5
jocosely
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| adv.说玩笑地，诙谐地 | |
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6
applicant
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| n.申请人，求职者，请求者 | |
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7
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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8
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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9
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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10
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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11
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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12
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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13
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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14
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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15
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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16
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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17
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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18
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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