When Paul was left in charge of the stand, and realized that it was his own, he felt a degree of satisfaction which can be imagined. He had been a newsboy, a baggage-smasher, and in fact had pretty much gone the round of the street trades, but now he felt that he had advanced one step higher. Some of my readers may not appreciate the difference, but to Paul it was a great one. He was not a merchant prince, to be sure, but he had a
fixed1 place of business, and with his experience he felt confident he could make it pay.
“I am sure I can make from ten to fifteen dollars a week,” he said to himself. “I averaged over a dollar a day when I worked for George Barry, and then I only got half-profits. Now I shall have the whole.”
This consideration was a very agreeable one. He would be able to maintain his mother and little Jimmy in greater comfort than before, and this he cared more for than for any extra indulgences for himself. In fact, he could relieve his mother
entirely2 from the necessity of working, and yet live better than at present. When Paul thought of this, it gave him a thrill of satisfaction, and made him feel almost like a man.
He set to work
soliciting3 custom, and soon had sold three neckties at twenty-five cents each.
“All that money is mine,” he thought, proudly. “I haven't got to hand any of it over to George Barry. That's a comfort.”
As this thought occurred to him he recognized an old acquaintance strolling along the sidewalk in his direction. It was no other than Jim Parker, the friend and crony of Mike Donovan, who will be remembered as figuring in not a very creditable way in the earlier chapters of this story. It so happened that he and Paul had not met for some time, and Jim was quite ignorant of Paul's rise in life.
As for Jim himself, no great change had taken place in his appearance or
prospects4. His suit was rather more
ragged5 and dirty than when we first made his acquaintance, having been worn night and day in the streets, by night stretched out in some dirty
alley6 or out-of-the-way corner, where Jim found cheap
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收听单词发音
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1
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 |
参考例句： |
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
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2
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 |
参考例句： |
- The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
- His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
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3
soliciting
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| v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 |
参考例句： |
- A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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4
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) |
参考例句： |
- There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
- They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
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5
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 |
参考例句： |
- A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
- Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
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6
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 |
参考例句： |
- We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
- The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。
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7
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 |
参考例句： |
- The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
- Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?
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8
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 |
参考例句： |
- When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时，太阳已下山了。
- I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。
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9
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 |
参考例句： |
- I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
- They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。
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10
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 |
参考例句： |
- He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
- Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。
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11
kindly
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| 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。
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12
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 |
参考例句： |
- He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
- Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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13
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 |
参考例句： |
- A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
- You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。
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14
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 |
参考例句： |
- He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
- Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。
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15
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 |
参考例句： |
- She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
- The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
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16
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 |
参考例句： |
- I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
- By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。
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17
dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 |
参考例句： |
- There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
- The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
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18
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 |
参考例句： |
- The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
- Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。
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19
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 |
参考例句： |
- Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
- Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
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20
retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 |
参考例句： |
- In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
- These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
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21
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 |
参考例句： |
- The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
- The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
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