It was not until... ²

上面的译文是不符合英语惯用法的。只有当 not until 位于句首时，主句的主语和谓语才需倒装。而在 It was not until 之后，无论是 until 从句，还是 that 从句都不需要倒装，而且必须用连词 that。因此，上面的句子应改为：

(A) It was not until... that the boy appeared...

(B) Not until I had... did the boy appear...

请对比：

1. Not till he got home did he realize that he had lost his keys. (PEG) 直到他到了家才发现他丢了钥匙。

2. It was not until I had read your letter that I understood the true state of affairs. (Eckersley) 直到我读了你的信,我才明白了事情的真实情况。

3. It was not until Harry reached the bottommost drawer that he saw something to distract him from his search: Mr Weasley's file. (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) 直到哈利搜到最底下的抽屉时，他才看到有些使他分心的东西：韦斯莱先生的档案。（《哈利·波特与死亡圣徒》）

更详细的情形,见 not until 和 It was not until $^{1}$ 。