Chapter 1: Page 7: Line 15

 "The Coffee's for you, Nunk,— " "—last Time, you were talking in your sleep," the Pair explain, placing the Sweets nearer themselves, all in this Room being left to seize and pour as they may.

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Line 15 Vulgarized:
The nephews, who speak as if one organism (not in unison (at least not yet!) but one following up the thought of the other like two romantic leads in the kind of movie I'd never be caught snot-crying watching not because I don't watch them but because I lock all the doors before starting the film), explain to their uncle that he needs to drink more coffee so he doesn't, once again, fall asleep while telling his stories. They then set the delicious snacks in their laps, forcing everybody else to get up and try to grab a treat for themselves before the Nephews' grimy hands get all over every single pastry.

Subtext:
Twins are creepy as fuck. I hope that isn't offensive to twins. I hope twins know how creepy they are and use it to their advantage every single day of their creepy lives. Also, this isn't my subtext; it's Pynchon's! I didn't come up with it! It's right there beneath Pynchon's text for anybody to make up!

Chapter 1: Page 7: Lines 13-14

 "What is this? Why, Lads, you read my mind."

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Lines 13-14 Vulgarized:
"What have we here? Coffee and doughnuts! Just what I wanted, my young nephews!"

Subtext:
Reverend Cherrycoke is addicted to caffeine and sugar which is probably why his name is "Cherry Coke."

Chapter 1: Page 7: Line 12

 Announc'd by Nasal Telegraph, in come the Twins, bearing the old Pewter Coffee-Machine venting its Puffs of Vapor, and a large Basket dedicated to Saccharomanic Appetites, piled to the Brim with fresh-fried Dough-Nuts roll'd in Sugar, glaz'd Chestnuts, Buns, Fritters, Crullers, Tarts.

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Line 12 Vulgarized:
The twins, huffing and puffing due to the exertion (or maybe they're just blowing snot out of their noses, or trumpeting through their nostrils as they march in the extravagant feast. I think we're allowed some imaginative subjective interpretations here), haul a steaming hot coffee machine along with a basket full of sweet doughy snacks for those guests with tooths for sugar.

Subtext:
Thomas Pynchon was fucking hungry when he wrote this and he hoped to make readers hungry too. He also might have been flexing a bit: "Yeah, I researched all the sweet dough food available to the Saccharomanic in 1786. Go ahead! Check up on me. Pshaw. I know you won't because I own you. You believe everything I say now, you maggots."

Chapter 1: Page 7: Line 11

 Tenebræ has seated herself and taken up her Needlework, a piece whose size and difficulty are already subjects of Discussion in the House, the Embroidress herself keeping silence,— upon this Topick, at least.

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Line 11 Vulgarized:
Reverend Cherrycoke's niece, Tenebrae (a girl who loves to talk), has been working on an enormous and complicated piece of embroidery (which is one of the most exciting topics of conversation in the house because it's 1786) while listening to her uncle's stories.

Subtext:
The needlework probably represents Gravity's Rainbow because a needle is phallic like a rocket and also the novel is large and difficult and everybody just loves to talk about it, except for Thomas Pynchon who remains silent ("upon this Topick, at least" meaning Pynchon still writes loads and loads of pages that he puts into books all the time but he's said as much as he's going to say on boner rockets of World War II).

"Tenebræ"
Tenebræ is the name of a Catholic religious service held during the three days preceding Easter (so Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Saturday Before Easter). Tenebræ also means "darkness" in Latin which is probably why the Catholics call the service before Easter "Tenebræ." That would make more sense if I'd mentioned that during the service, candles are extinguished until the church is completely dark and then somebody makes a loud noise, probably akin to a V2 rocket hitting London.

Chapter 1: Page 7: Line 10

 The Youth, as usual, not being consulted in this.

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Line 10 Vulgarized:
Nobody asked the stupid kids if they were interested in sex stories even though they totally were.

Subtext:
The corruption of minors is a concern to adults because they know from experience, having once been a minor, that the major concern of a minor is to become corrupted as quickly as possible. Once corrupted, the memory of innocence weighs heavily on the adult mind and they realize they needn't have been in such a rush to be corrupted and so try desperately to keep every other minor in existence uncorrupted.
    Basically I'm just restating the entire Garden of Eden story (unless I'm thinking about The Outsiders). That's probably the subtext. The kids are Adam and Eve and Pony Boy while Reverend Cherrycoke is playing God and his stories are probably the serpent because I know he's going to slip in at least one story about Mason's boner (which is serpent-like).
    Wasn't one of S.E. Hinton's characters named Paper Clip? I feel like one of them was Paper Clip. I'm not going to check because I don't want it to be untrue.

Chapter 1: Page 7: Line 9

 Thus, they have heard the Escape from Hottentot-Land, the Accursèd Ruby of Mogok, the Ship-wrecks in Indies East and West,— an Herodotic Web of Adventures and Curiosities selected, the Revᵈ implies, for their moral usefulness, whilst avoiding others not as suitable in the Hearing of Youth.

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Line 9 Vulgarized:
Reverend Cherrycoke has told a number of stories since arriving in October including the one where they escaped from southwestern Africa (probably because they did some colonial racisms), one where they fell victim to the curse of a ruby from the mines of Mogok in Burmah, and two shipwreck stories (one in waters in the Americas and one in the waters of India). These stories all contained some life lesson for the edification of the children and no sexy time skin slappers.

Subtext:
The titles of these tales all indicate some kind of exciting, over-the-top action thriller, less moral edutainment and more chase scenes, shark attacks, and Snake Plisskens. Just using the adjective "Herodotic" to suggest Reverend Cherrycoke's tales are like those of Herodotus, a known unreliable narrator who many believe punched up his histories to make them more exciting. At least that's what academics and historians who know who Herodotus was (which is probably all of them). What I'm saying is Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman never wrote a comic book about him so how was I supposed to know anything about him?!
    It's a bit disappointing to hear that the Reverend is censoring himself on account of his audience being composed of groups of children because that means he's going to be more The Everlasting Story of Nory and less The Fermata which is really causing a major depression in my pants.

Chapter 1: Pages 6-7: Line 8

 It has become an afternoon habit for the Twins and their Sister, and what Friends old and young may find their way here, to gather for another Tale from their far-travel'd Uncle, the Revᵈ Wicks Cherrycoke, who arriv'd here back in October for the funeral of a Friend of years ago,— too late for the Burial, as it prov'd,— and has linger'd as a Guest in the Home of his sister Elizabeth, the Wife, for many years, of Mr. J. Wade LeSpark, a respected Merchant active in Town Affairs, whilst in his home yet Sultan enough to convey to the Revᵈ, tho' without ever so stipulating, that, for as long as he can keep the children amus'd, he may remain,— too much evidence of Juvenile Rampage at the wrong moment, however, and Boppo! 'twill be Out the Door with him, where waits the Winter's Block and Blade.

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Line 8 Vulgarized:
The Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke had come to Philadelphia for the funeral of his friend, Charles Mason, who died in October of that year. Since then he's become the Scheherazade of his sister Elizabeth's house, able to remain as long as his stories are entertaining enough to control the chaotic shenanigans of his young niece and twin nephews. Elizabeth's husband, the respected merchant J. Wade LeSpark, is the "Sultan" who decides whether the Reverend's tales are keeping the children entertained enough and who can, if he deems the tales unworthy by dint of their lack of calming effect, send the Reverend on his way into the guillotine of the winter's cold.

Subtext:
The subtext of the Reverend as Scheherazade and his brother-in-law as the Sultan who uses wives like tissue paper is hardly subtext. That's right there in the lines with the stories and the "Sultan" and the sending the Reverend out to his death if his stories aren't good enough. The actual subtext is this: the Reverend's stories are absolutely going to be embellished to provide maximum entertainment. His free room and board—possibly his life as the analogy of The Book of the Thousand Nights and A Night attests to—depend upon it!