The Store Boy
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Chapter 20 Entering Upon His Duties

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 When Ben had taken out his clothing from his valise and put it away in the drawers of the handsome bureau which formed a part of the furniture of his room, he went downstairs, and found his patroness in a cozy1 sitting room, on the second floor. It was furnished, Ben could not help thinking, more as if it were designed for a gentleman than a lady. In one corner was a library table, with writing materials, books, and papers upon it, and an array of drawers on either side of the central part.

 
"Come right in, Ben," said Mrs. Hamilton, who was seated at the table. "We will talk of business."
 
This Ben was quite willing to do. He was anxious to know what were to be his duties, that he might judge whether he was competent to discharge them.
 
"Let me tell you, to begin with," said his patroness, "that I am possessed2 of considerable wealth, as, indeed, you may have judged by way of living. I have no children, unfortunately, and being unwilling3, selfishly, to devote my entire means to my own use exclusively, I try to help others in a way that I think most suitable. Mrs. Hill, who acts as my housekeeper4, is a cousin, who made a poor marriage, and was left penniless. I have given a home to her and her son."
 
"I don't think Mrs. Hill likes my being here," said Ben.
 
"You are, no doubt, right. She is foolish enough to be jealous because I do not bestow5 all my favors upon her."
 
"I think she will look upon me as a rival of her son."
 
"I expected she would. Perhaps she will learn, after a while, that I can be a friend to you and him both, though, I am free to admit, I have never been able to take any fancy to Conrad, nor, indeed, was his mother a favorite with me. But for her needy6 circumstances, she is, perhaps, the last of my relatives that I would invite to become a member of my household. However, to come to business: My money is invested in various ways. Besides the ordinary forms of investment, stocks, bonds, and mortgages, I have set up two or three young men, whom I thought

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1 cozy ozdx0     
adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的
参考例句：
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
2 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
3 unwilling CjpwB     
adj.不情愿的
参考例句：
  • The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
  • His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
4 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇，女管家
参考例句：
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。
5 bestow 9t3zo     
v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费
参考例句：
  • He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
  • What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？
6 needy wG7xh     
adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的
参考例句：
  • Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
  • They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。
7 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的
参考例句：
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
8 drudgery CkUz2     
n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作
参考例句：
  • People want to get away from the drudgery of their everyday lives.人们想摆脱日常生活中单调乏味的工作。
  • He spent his life in pointlessly tiresome drudgery.他的一生都在做毫无意义的烦人的苦差事。
9 supervision hr6wv     
n.监督，管理
参考例句：
  • The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
  • The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。
10 algebra MKRyW     
n.代数学
参考例句：
  • He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
  • The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。
11 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
12 versed bffzYC     
adj. 精通，熟练
参考例句：
  • He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
  • He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。
13 unemployed lfIz5Q     
adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的
参考例句：
  • There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
  • The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
14 secondly cjazXx     
adv.第二，其次
参考例句：
  • Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
  • Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。
15 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
16 ledger 014xk     
n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿
参考例句：
  • The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺，然后又埋头写起分类帐。
  • She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的，家庭分类账记得清楚详细。
17 guilt 9e6xr     
n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责
参考例句：
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
18 joyously 1p4zu0     
ad.快乐地, 高兴地
参考例句：
  • She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门，直扑我的怀抱，欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
  • They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊，那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分
19 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
20 grimace XQVza     
v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭
参考例句：
  • The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。
  • Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。

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