Keith's first plunge1 into the teeming2 life of the place had to suffice him for all the rest of that week. There seemed so many pressing things to do at home. The Boyle house was only partly furnished. Each morning he and Nan went downtown and prospected3 for things needed. This was Nan's first experience of the sort; and she confessed to a ludicrous surprise over the fact that pots, pans, brooms, kitchen utensils4, and such homely5 matters had to be thought of and bought.
"I had a sort of notion they grew on the premises," she said.
Mrs. Sherwood gave them much valuable advice, particularly as to auctions7. In the Keiths limited experience auctions generally had meant cheap or second-hand8 articles, but out here the reverse was the case. A madness possessed9 otherwise conservative Eastern merchants--especially of the staid city of Boston--to send out on speculation10 immense cargoes11 of all sorts of goods. These were the despair of consignees. Heavy freights, high interest charges, tremendous warehouse12 rates, speedily ate up whatever chance of profits a fresh consignment13 might have. The only solution was to sell out as promptly14 as possible; and the quickest method was the auction6. Therefore, auctions were everywhere in progress, and the professional auctioneers were a large, influential15, and skilful16 class of people. Their advertisements made the bulk of the newspapers. They dressed well, carried an air of consequence, furnished refreshments17, brass18 bands, or other entertainments to their patrons. The era of fabulous19 prices was at an end, but the era of wild speculation as to what the public was going to want was in full tide. Keith and Nan found these auctions great fun, and piece by piece they accumulated the items of their house furnishing. It was slow work, but amusing. At times Mrs. Sherwood accompanied them, but not often. Her advice was always good.
As to Mrs. Sherwood, Nan Keith found her attitude very vague. There was no doubt that she liked her personally, admired her slow, purposeful, half- indolent movements, the poise20 of her small, patrician21 head, the unconscious, easy grace of her body, the direct commonsense22 quality of her mind. One met her face to face; there were no frills and furbelows of the spirit. Also, Nan was grateful for the other woman's first kindness and real sympathy, and she wanted to "play the game." But, on the other hand, all her social training and her instinct of formalism tended to hold her aloof23. She blamed herself intellectually for this feeling; but since it was a feeling, and had nothing to do with intellect, it persisted.
In the auction rooms, also, she seemed to meet--be formally introduced to-- a bewildering number of people, most of whom she could not place at all. There seemed to be no reason for meeting them; certainly she would not have met them in the East. Nevertheless, they all shook her by the hand, and bowed to her whenever subsequently they passed her on the street. Keith told her this was all usual and proper in this new and mixed social order; and she was perfectly24 willing to make the effort. She was really charming to everybody. The consciousness that she was successfully adapting herself to their primitive25 provincial26 scope, and her very gracious condescension27 to all types, filled her with respect for her democracy and breadth of mind.
The afternoon they spent at the house receiving boxes and packages. Keith worked busily, happily, feverishly28, in his shirt sleeves. He attacked the job on the principle of a whirlwind campaign, hammering, ripping, throwing papers down, deciding instantly where this or that chair or table was to stand, tearing on to the next, enjoying himself dustily and hugely.
Nan was more leisurely29. She found time to gossip with the drayman who brought up the goods, actually came to a liking30 and a warm friendly feeling for him as a person. This was a new experience for Nan, and she explored it curiously31.
John McGlynn was a teamster, but likewise a thoroughly32 independent and capable citizen. He was of the lank33, hewn, lean-faced, hawk-nosed type, deliberate in movement and speech, with a twinkling, contemplative, appraising34 eye, and an unhurried drawl. He told Nan he had come out in '49.
"No, ma'am," he disclaimed35 vigorously, "I didn't go to the mines. I am a teamster, and I always did teaming." He did not add, as he might have done, that in those days of the individual he had been an important influence.
His great pride was his team and wagon36, and that pride was justified37. The wagon was a heavy flat affair, gayly decorated, and on the sides of the box were paintings of landscapes. The horses were great, magnificent creatures, with arching thick necks, long wavy38 manes and forelocks, soft, intelligent eyes, and with great hoofs39 and hairy fetlocks. They carried themselves in conscious pride, Their harness was heavy with silver and with many white and coloured rings. In colour they were dapple gray.
"That team," said John McGlynn, "is a perfect match. Took me two years to get them together. Wuth a mint of money. That Kate, there, is a regular character. You'd be surprised how cute she is. I often wonder who Kate _is_. She must be some very famous woman."
John McGlynn was a very wonderful and very accommodating person, Nan thought. He would help carry things in, and was willing to unpack40 or to carry out the mess Keith's mad career left behind, it. Also he cast an eye on the garden possibilities, and issued friendly, expert advice to which Nan listened, breathless. They held long intimate consultations41 as to the treatment of the soil.
"A few posies does sort of brighten things up; they're wuth while," quoth John.
Without previous consultation42, he appeared one day accompanied by a rotund, bland43, gorgeous Chinaman, perched beside him on his elevated seat.
"This is Wing Woh, a friend of mine," he announced. "You got to have a Chink, of course. You can't run that sized house without help. Wing knows all the Chinks in town, and bosses about half of them."
Wing Woh descended44 and without a word walked into the house. He was a very ornate person, dressed in a skull45 cap with a red coral button atop, a brocaded pale lavendar tunic46 of silk, baggy47 pale green trousers tied close around the ankles, snow-white socks and the typical shoe. Gravely, solemnly, methodically he went over the entire house; then returned and clambered up beside John.
"All light," he vouchsafed48 to the astonished Nan.
Next morning she found waiting on the veranda49 a smiling "china boy" dressed all in clean white. A small cloth bundle lay at his feet.
"My name Wing Sam," he announced; "I wo'k you thi'ty dolla' month. Where you keep him bloom?"
That day John McGlynn stopped after unloading his boxes to give a little advice.
"Chinks are queer," said he. "When you show this fellow how to do anything, be sure to show him right, because that's the way he's going to do it forever after. You can't change him. And show him; don't tell him. And let him do things his own way as much as you can, instead of insisting on your way."
McGlynn also advised Keith as to where he could to the best advantage hire a horse and buggy by the month.
"You want a good safe animal, so Mrs. Keith can drive him; but you don't want a cow. Jump aboard and I'll take you around. Never mind your coat," he told Keith, "it's warm."
So they "jumped aboard" and drove down the street. Nan gurgled with amusement over the episode. She sat on the high seat beside John McGlynn's lank figure, above the broad backs of the great horses; and Keith in his shirtsleeves, his hair every which way, a smudge of black across his nose, balanced in the flat dray body behind. Nan tried to imagine the sensation they would create in Baltimore, and laughed aloud.
"Is sort of funny," commented John McGlynn sympathetically. "But everything goes out here."
Nan, aghast at the uncanny perspicacity50 of the man, choked silently. In her world there had always been a sort of vague, unexpressed feeling that the "lower classes" were dull.
They used the horse and buggy a great deal. It was delivered at the hotel door every morning and taken from the same place every evening. Innumerable errands downtown for things forgotten kept it busy. At night they returned to the hotel pretty well tired out. It was a tremendous task, much as they might be enjoying it.
"Seems to me the more we do the worse it gets," said Keith. "Let's dig some sort of a hole and move in anyway."
"In a few days," agreed Nan, who as general-in-chief had a much clearer idea of the actual state of affairs than the dusty private.
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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prospected
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| vi.勘探（prospect的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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auctions
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| n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 ) | |
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second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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patrician
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| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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commonsense
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| adj.有常识的；明白事理的；注重实际的 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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lank
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| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
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appraising
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| v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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disclaimed
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| v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40
unpack
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| vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货 | |
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41
consultations
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| n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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perspicacity
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| n. 敏锐, 聪明, 洞察力 | |
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