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our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 6 the golden dustman falls into worse company it had come to pass that mr silas wegg nowrarely attended the minion of fortune and the worm of the hour, at his (the worm'sand minion's) own house, but lay under general instructions to await him within acertain margin of hours at the bower. mr wegg took this arrangement in greatdudgeon, because the appointed hours were evening hours, and those he consideredprecious to the progress of the friendly move. but it was quite in character, he bitterlyremarked to mr venus, that the upstart who

had trampled on those eminent creatures,miss elizabeth, master george, aunt jane, and uncle parker, should oppress hisliterary man. the roman empire having worked out itsdestruction, mr boffin next appeared in a cab with rollin's ancient history, whichvaluable work being found to possess lethargic properties, broke down, at about the period when the whole of the army ofalexander the macedonian (at that time about forty thousand strong) burst intotears simultaneously, on his being taken with a shivering fit after bathing. the wars of the jews, likewise languishingunder mr wegg's generalship, mr boffin

arrived in another cab with plutarch: whoselives he found in the sequel extremely entertaining, though he hoped plutarchmight not expect him to believe them all. what to believe, in the course of hisreading, was mr boffin's chief literary difficulty indeed; for some time he wasdivided in his mind between half, all, or none; at length, when he decided, as a moderate man, to compound with half, thequestion still remained, which half? and that stumbling-block he never got over. one evening, when silas wegg had grownaccustomed to the arrival of his patron in a cab, accompanied by some profanehistorian charged with unutterable names of

incomprehensible peoples, of impossible descent, waging wars any number of yearsand syllables long, and carrying illimitable hosts and riches about, withthe greatest ease, beyond the confines of geography--one evening the usual timepassed by, and no patron appeared. after half an hour's grace, mr weggproceeded to the outer gate, and there executed a whistle, conveying to mr venus,if perchance within hearing, the tidings of his being at home and disengaged. forth from the shelter of a neighbouringwall, mr venus then emerged. 'brother in arms,' said mr wegg, inexcellent spirits, 'welcome!'

in return, mr venus gave him a rather drygood evening. 'walk in, brother,' said silas, clappinghim on the shoulder, 'and take your seat in my chimley corner; for what says theballad? "no malice to dread, sir, and nofalsehood to fear, but truth to delight me, mr venus, and i forgotwhat to cheer. li toddle de om dee. and somethingto guide, my ain fireside, sir, my ain fireside."' with this quotation (depending for itsneatness rather on the spirit than the words), mr wegg conducted his guest to hishearth.

'and you come, brother,' said mr wegg, in ahospitable glow, 'you come like i don't know what--exactly like it--i shouldn'tknow you from it--shedding a halo all around you.' 'what kind of halo?' asked mr venus.''ope sir,' replied silas. 'that's your halo.' mr venus appeared doubtful on the point,and looked rather discontentedly at the fire. 'we'll devote the evening, brother,'exclaimed wegg, 'to prosecute our friendly and arterwards, crushing a flowing wine-cup--which i allude to brewing rum and

water--we'll pledge one another.for what says the poet? "and you needn't mr venus be yourblack bottle,for surely i'll be mine, and we'll take a glass with a slice oflemon in it to which you're partial,for auld lang syne."' this flow of quotation and hospitality inwegg indicated his observation of some little querulousness on the part of venus. 'why, as to the friendly move,' observedthe last-named gentleman, rubbing his knees peevishly, 'one of my objections to it is,that it don't move.' 'rome, brother,' returned wegg: 'a citywhich (it may not be generally known)

originated in twins and a wolf; and endedin imperial marble: wasn't built in a day.' 'did i say it was?' asked venus. 'no, you did not, brother.well-inquired.' 'but i do say,' proceeded venus, 'that i amtaken from among my trophies of anatomy, am called upon to exchange my human wariousfor mere coal-ashes warious, and nothing comes of it. i think i must give up.''no, sir!' remonstrated wegg, enthusiastically.'no, sir! "charge, chester, charge, on, mr venus,on!"

never say die, sir!a man of your mark!' 'it's not so much saying it that i objectto,' returned mr venus, 'as doing it. and having got to do it whether or no, ican't afford to waste my time on groping for nothing in cinders.' 'but think how little time you have givento the move, sir, after all,' urged wegg. 'add the evenings so occupied together, andwhat do they come to? and you, sir, harmonizer with myself inopinions, views, and feelings, you with the patience to fit together on wires the wholeframework of society--i allude to the human skelinton--you to give in so soon!'

'i don't like it,' returned mr venusmoodily, as he put his head between his knees and stuck up his dusty hair.'and there's no encouragement to go on.' 'not them mounds without,' said mr wegg,extending his right hand with an air of solemn reasoning, 'encouragement?not them mounds now looking down upon us?' 'they're too big,' grumbled venus. 'what's a scratch here and a scrape there,a poke in this place and a dig in the other, to them.besides; what have we found?' 'what have we found?' cried wegg, delightedto be able to acquiesce. 'ah! there i grant you, comrade.nothing.

but on the contrary, comrade, what may wefind? there you'll grant me.anything.' 'i don't like it,' pettishly returned venusas before. 'i came into it without enoughconsideration. and besides again. isn't your own mr boffin well acquaintedwith the mounds? and wasn't he well acquainted with thedeceased and his ways? and has he ever showed any expectation offinding anything?' at that moment wheels were heard.

'now, i should be loth,' said mr wegg, withan air of patient injury, 'to think so ill of him as to suppose him capable of comingat this time of night. and yet it sounds like him.' a ring at the yard bell.'it is him,' said mr wegg, 'and he is capable of it. i am sorry, because i could have wished tokeep up a little lingering fragment of respect for him.'here mr boffin was heard lustily calling at the yard gate, 'halloa! wegg!halloa!'

'keep your seat, mr venus,' said wegg.'he may not stop.' and then called out, 'halloa, sir! halloa!i'm with you directly, sir! half a minute, mr boffin.coming, sir, as fast as my leg will bring me!' and so with a show of much cheerfulalacrity stumped out to the gate with a light, and there, through the window of acab, descried mr boffin inside, blocked up with books. 'here! lend a hand, wegg,' said mr boffinexcitedly, 'i can't get out till the way is

cleared for me.this is the annual register, wegg, in a cab-full of wollumes. do you know him?''know the animal register, sir?' returned the impostor, who had caught the nameimperfectly. 'for a trifling wager, i think i could findany animal in him, blindfold, mr boffin.' 'and here's kirby's wonderful museum,' saidmr boffin, 'and caulfield's characters, and wilson's. such characters, wegg, such characters!i must have one or two of the best of 'em to-night.it's amazing what places they used to put

the guineas in, wrapped up in rags. catch hold of that pile of wollumes, wegg,or it'll bulge out and burst into the mud. is there anyone about, to help?' 'there's a friend of mine, sir, that hadthe intention of spending the evening with me when i gave you up--much against mywill--for the night.' 'call him out,' cried mr boffin in abustle; 'get him to bear a hand. don't drop that one under your arm.it's dancer. him and his sister made pies of a deadsheep they found when they were out a walking.where's your friend?

oh, here's your friend. would you be so good as help wegg andmyself with these books? but don't take jemmy taylor of southwark,nor yet jemmy wood of gloucester. these are the two jemmys. i'll carry them myself.' not ceasing to talk and bustle, in a stateof great excitement, mr boffin directed the removal and arrangement of the books,appearing to be in some sort beside himself until they were all deposited on the floor,and the cab was dismissed. 'there!' said mr boffin, gloating overthem.

'there they are, like the four-and-twentyfiddlers--all of a row. get on your spectacles, wegg; i know whereto find the best of 'em, and we'll have a taste at once of what we have got beforeus. what's your friend's name?' mr wegg presented his friend as mr venus.'eh?' cried mr boffin, catching at the name.'of clerkenwell?' 'of clerkenwell, sir,' said mr venus. 'why, i've heard of you,' cried mr boffin,'i heard of you in the old man's time. you knew him.did you ever buy anything of him?'

with piercing eagerness. 'no, sir,' returned venus.'but he showed you things; didn't he?' mr venus, with a glance at his friend,replied in the affirmative. 'what did he show you?' asked mr boffin,putting his hands behind him, and eagerly advancing his head. 'did he show you boxes, little cabinets,pocket-books, parcels, anything locked or sealed, anything tied up?'mr venus shook his head. 'are you a judge of china?' mr venus again shook his head.'because if he had ever showed you a

teapot, i should be glad to know of it,'said mr boffin. and then, with his right hand at his lips,repeated thoughtfully, 'a teapot, a teapot', and glanced over the books on thefloor, as if he knew there was something interesting connected with a teapot,somewhere among them. mr wegg and mr venus looked at one anotherwonderingly: and mr wegg, in fitting on his spectacles, opened his eyes wide, overtheir rims, and tapped the side of his nose: as an admonition to venus to keephimself generally wide awake. 'a teapot,' repeated mr boffin, continuingto muse and survey the books; 'a teapot, a teapot.

are you ready, wegg?''i am at your service, sir,' replied that gentleman, taking his usual seat on theusual settle, and poking his wooden leg under the table before it. 'mr venus, would you make yourself useful,and take a seat beside me, sir, for the conveniency of snuffing the candles?' venus complying with the invitation whileit was yet being given, silas pegged at him with his wooden leg, to call his particularattention to mr boffin standing musing before the fire, in the space between thetwo settles. 'hem! ahem!' coughed mr wegg to attract hisemployer's attention.

'would you wish to commence with an animal,sir--from the register?' 'no,' said mr boffin, 'no, wegg.' with that, producing a little book from hisbreast-pocket, he handed it with great care to the literary gentlemen, and inquired,'what do you call that, wegg?' 'this, sir,' replied silas, adjusting hisspectacles, and referring to the title- page, 'is merryweather's lives andanecdotes of misers. mr venus, would you make yourself usefuland draw the candles a little nearer, sir?' this to have a special opportunity ofbestowing a stare upon his comrade. 'which of 'em have you got in that lot?'asked mr boffin.

'can you find out pretty easy?' 'well, sir,' replied silas, turning to thetable of contents and slowly fluttering the leaves of the book, 'i should say they mustbe pretty well all here, sir; here's a large assortment, sir; my eye catches john overs, sir, john little, sir, dick jarrel,john elwes, the reverend mr jones of blewbury, vulture hopkins, daniel dancer--''give us dancer, wegg,' said mr boffin. with another stare at his comrade, silassought and found the place. 'page a hundred and nine, mr boffin.chapter eight. contents of chapter, "his birth and estate.

his garments and outward appearance.miss dancer and her feminine graces. the miser's mansion.the finding of a treasure. the story of the mutton pies. a miser's idea of death.bob, the miser's cur. griffiths and his master.how to turn a penny. a substitute for a fire. the advantages of keeping a snuff-box.the miser dies without a shirt. the treasures of a dunghill--"''eh? what's that?' demanded mr boffin. '"the treasures," sir,' repeated silas,reading very distinctly, '"of a dunghill."

mr venus, sir, would you obleege with thesnuffers?' this, to secure attention to his addingwith his lips only, 'mounds!' mr boffin drew an arm-chair into the spacewhere he stood, and said, seating himself and slyly rubbing his hands: 'give us dancer.' mr wegg pursued the biography of thateminent man through its various phases of avarice and dirt, through miss dancer'sdeath on a sick regimen of cold dumpling, and through mr dancer's keeping his rags together with a hayband, and warming hisdinner by sitting upon it, down to the

consolatory incident of his dying naked ina sack. after which he read on as follows: '"the house, or rather the heap of ruins,in which mr dancer lived, and which at his death devolved to the right of captainholmes, was a most miserable, decayed building, for it had not been repaired formore than half a century."' (here mr wegg eyes his comrade and the roomin which they sat: which had not been repaired for a long time.) '"but though poor in external structure,the ruinous fabric was very rich in the interior.

it took many weeks to explore its wholecontents; and captain holmes found it a very agreeable task to dive into themiser's secret hoards."' (here mr wegg repeated 'secret hoards', andpegged his comrade again.) '"one of mr dancer's richest escretoireswas found to be a dungheap in the cowhouse; a sum but little short of two thousand fivehundred pounds was contained in this rich piece of manure; and in an old jacket, carefully tied, and strongly nailed down tothe manger, in bank notes and gold were found five hundred pounds more."' (here mr wegg's wooden leg started forwardunder the table, and slowly elevated itself

as he read on.) '"several bowls were discovered filled withguineas and half-guineas; and at different times on searching the corners of the housethey found various parcels of bank notes. some were crammed into the crevices of thewall"'; (here mr venus looked at the wall.)'"bundles were hid under the cushions and covers of the chairs"'; (here mr venus looked under himself on thesettle.) '"some were reposing snugly at the back ofthe drawers; and notes amounting to six hundred pounds were found neatly doubled upin the inside of an old teapot.

in the stable the captain found jugs fullof old dollars and shillings. the chimney was not left unsearched, andpaid very well for the trouble; for in nineteen different holes, all filled withsoot, were found various sums of money, amounting together to more than two hundredpounds."' on the way to this crisis mr wegg's woodenleg had gradually elevated itself more and more, and he had nudged mr venus with hisopposite elbow deeper and deeper, until at length the preservation of his balance became incompatible with the two actions,and he now dropped over sideways upon that gentleman, squeezing him against thesettle's edge.

nor did either of the two, for some fewseconds, make any effort to recover himself; both remaining in a kind ofpecuniary swoon. but the sight of mr boffin sitting in thearm-chair hugging himself, with his eyes upon the fire, acted as a restorative. counterfeiting a sneeze to cover theirmovements, mr wegg, with a spasmodic 'tish- ho!' pulled himself and mr venus up in amasterly manner. 'let's have some more,' said mr boffin,hungrily. 'john elwes is the next, sir.is it your pleasure to take john elwes?' 'ah!' said mr boffin.

'let's hear what john did.'he did not appear to have hidden anything, so went off rather flatly. but an exemplary lady named wilcocks, whohad stowed away gold and silver in a pickle-pot in a clock-case, a canister-fullof treasure in a hole under her stairs, and a quantity of money in an old rat-trap,revived the interest. to her succeeded another lady, claiming tobe a pauper, whose wealth was found wrapped up in little scraps of paper and old rag. to her, another lady, apple-woman by trade,who had saved a fortune of ten thousand pounds and hidden it 'here and there, incracks and corners, behind bricks and under

the flooring.' to her, a french gentleman, who had crammedup his chimney, rather to the detriment of its drawing powers, 'a leather valise,containing twenty thousand francs, gold coins, and a large quantity of precious stones,' as discovered by a chimneysweepafter his death. by these steps mr wegg arrived at aconcluding instance of the human magpie: 'many years ago, there lived at cambridge amiserly old couple of the name of jardine: they had two sons: the father was a perfectmiser, and at his death one thousand guineas were discovered secreted in hisbed.

the two sons grew up as parsimonious astheir sire. when about twenty years of age, theycommenced business at cambridge as drapers, and they continued there until their death. the establishment of the messrs jardine wasthe most dirty of all the shops in cambridge.customers seldom went in to purchase, except perhaps out of curiosity. the brothers were most disreputable-lookingbeings; for, although surrounded with gay apparel as their staple in trade, they worethe most filthy rags themselves. it is said that they had no bed, and, tosave the expense of one, always slept on a

bundle of packing-cloths under the counter.in their housekeeping they were penurious in the extreme. a joint of meat did not grace their boardfor twenty years. yet when the first of the brothers died,the other, much to his surprise, found large sums of money which had been secretedeven from him.' 'there!' cried mr boffin. 'even from him, you see!there was only two of 'em, and yet one of 'em hid from the other.' mr venus, who since his introduction to thefrench gentleman, had been stooping to peer

up the chimney, had his attention recalledby the last sentence, and took the liberty of repeating it. 'do you like it?' asked mr boffin, turningsuddenly. 'i beg your pardon, sir?''do you like what wegg's been a-reading?' mr venus answered that he found itextremely interesting. 'then come again,' said mr boffin, 'andhear some more. come when you like; come the day after to-morrow, half an hour sooner. there's plenty more; there's no end to it.'mr venus expressed his acknowledgments and accepted the invitation.

'it's wonderful what's been hid, at onetime and another,' said mr boffin, ruminating; 'truly wonderful.' 'meaning sir,' observed wegg, with apropitiatory face to draw him out, and with another peg at his friend and brother, 'inthe way of money?' 'money,' said mr boffin. 'ah! and papers.'mr wegg, in a languid transport, again dropped over on mr venus, and againrecovering himself, masked his emotions with a sneeze. 'tish-ho!did you say papers too, sir?

been hidden, sir?''hidden and forgot,' said mr boffin. 'why the bookseller that sold me thewonderful museum--where's the wonderful museum?'he was on his knees on the floor in a moment, groping eagerly among the books. 'can i assist you, sir?' asked wegg.'no, i have got it; here it is,' said mr boffin, dusting it with the sleeve of hiscoat. 'wollume four. i know it was the fourth wollume, that thebookseller read it to me out of. look for it, wegg.'silas took the book and turned the leaves.

'remarkable petrefaction, sir?' 'no, that's not it,' said mr boffin.'it can't have been a petrefaction.' 'memoirs of general john reid, commonlycalled the walking rushlight, sir? with portrait?' 'no, nor yet him,' said mr boffin.'remarkable case of a person who swallowed a crown-piece, sir?''to hide it?' asked mr boffin. 'why, no, sir,' replied wegg, consultingthe text, 'it appears to have been done by accident.oh! this next must be it. "singular discovery of a will, lost twenty-one years."'

'that's it!' cried mr boffin.'read that.' '"a most extraordinary case,"' read silaswegg aloud, '"was tried at the last maryborough assizes in ireland.it was briefly this. robert baldwin, in march 1782, made hiswill, in which he devised the lands now in question, to the children of his youngestson; soon after which his faculties failed him, and he became altogether childish anddied, above eighty years old. the defendant, the eldest son, immediatelyafterwards gave out that his father had destroyed the will; and no will beingfound, he entered into possession of the lands in question, and so matters remained

for twenty-one years, the whole familyduring all that time believing that the father had died without a will. but after twenty-one years the defendant'swife died, and he very soon afterwards, at the age of seventy-eight, married a veryyoung woman: which caused some anxiety to his two sons, whose poignant expressions of this feeling so exasperated their father,that he in his resentment executed a will to disinherit his eldest son, and in hisfit of anger showed it to his second son, who instantly determined to get at it, and destroy it, in order to preserve theproperty to his brother.

with this view, he broke open his father'sdesk, where he found--not his father's will which he sought after, but the will of hisgrandfather, which was then altogether forgotten in the family."' 'there!' said mr boffin.'see what men put away and forget, or mean to destroy, and don't!'he then added in a slow tone, 'as--ton-- ish--ing!' and as he rolled his eyes all round theroom, wegg and venus likewise rolled their eyes all round the room. and then wegg, singly, fixed his eyes on mrboffin looking at the fire again; as if he

had a mind to spring upon him and demandhis thoughts or his life. 'however, time's up for to-night,' said mrboffin, waving his hand after a silence. 'more, the day after to-morrow.range the books upon the shelves, wegg. i dare say mr venus will be so kind as helpyou.' while speaking, he thrust his hand into thebreast of his outer coat, and struggled with some object there that was too largeto be got out easily. what was the stupefaction of the friendlymovers when this object at last emerging, proved to be a much-dilapidated darklantern! without at all noticing the effect producedby this little instrument, mr boffin stood

it on his knee, and, producing a box ofmatches, deliberately lighted the candle in the lantern, blew out the kindled match,and cast the end into the fire. 'i'm going, wegg,' he then announced, 'totake a turn about the place and round the yard. i don't want you.me and this same lantern have taken hundreds--thousands--of such turns in ourtime together.' 'but i couldn't think, sir--not on anyaccount, i couldn't,'--wegg was politely beginning, when mr boffin, who had risenand was going towards the door, stopped: 'i have told you that i don't want you,wegg.'

wegg looked intelligently thoughtful, as ifthat had not occurred to his mind until he now brought it to bear on the circumstance. he had nothing for it but to let mr boffingo out and shut the door behind him. but, the instant he was on the other sideof it, wegg clutched venus with both hands, and said in a choking whisper, as if hewere being strangled: 'mr venus, he must be followed, he must bewatched, he mustn't be lost sight of for a moment.''why mustn't he?' asked venus, also strangling. 'comrade, you might have noticed i was alittle elewated in spirits when you come in

to-night.i've found something.' 'what have you found?' asked venus,clutching him with both hands, so that they stood interlocked like a couple ofpreposterous gladiators. 'there's no time to tell you now. i think he must have gone to look for it.we must have an eye upon him instantly.' releasing each other, they crept to thedoor, opened it softly, and peeped out. it was a cloudy night, and the black shadowof the mounds made the dark yard darker. 'if not a double swindler,' whispered wegg,'why a dark lantern? we could have seen what he was about, if hehad carried a light one.

softly, this way.' cautiously along the path that was borderedby fragments of crockery set in ashes, the two stole after him.they could hear him at his peculiar trot, crushing the loose cinders as he went. 'he knows the place by heart,' mutteredsilas, 'and don't need to turn his lantern on, confound him!' but he did turn it on, almost in that sameinstant, and flashed its light upon the first of the mounds.'is that the spot?' asked venus in a whisper.

'he's warm,' said silas in the same tone.'he's precious warm. he's close.i think he must be going to look for it. what's that he's got in his hand?' 'a shovel,' answered venus.'and he knows how to use it, remember, fifty times as well as either of us.' 'if he looks for it and misses it,partner,' suggested wegg, 'what shall we do?''first of all, wait till he does,' said venus. discreet advice too, for he darkened hislantern again, and the mound turned black.

after a few seconds, he turned the light ononce more, and was seen standing at the foot of the second mound, slowly raisingthe lantern little by little until he held it up at arm's length, as if he were examining the condition of the wholesurface. 'that can't be the spot too?' said venus.'no,' said wegg, 'he's getting cold.' 'it strikes me,' whispered venus, 'that hewants to find out whether any one has been groping about there.''hush!' returned wegg, 'he's getting colder and colder.--now he's freezing!' this exclamation was elicited by his havingturned the lantern off again, and on again,

and being visible at the foot of the thirdmound. 'why, he's going up it!' said venus. 'shovel and all!' said wegg. at a nimbler trot, as if the shovel overhis shoulder stimulated him by reviving old associations, mr boffin ascended the'serpentining walk', up the mound which he had described to silas wegg on the occasionof their beginning to decline and fall. on striking into it he turned his lanternoff. the two followed him, stooping low, so thattheir figures might make no mark in relief against the sky when he should turn hislantern on again.

mr venus took the lead, towing mr wegg, inorder that his refractory leg might be promptly extricated from any pitfalls itshould dig for itself. they could just make out that the goldendustman stopped to breathe. of course they stopped too, instantly.'this is his own mound,' whispered wegg, as he recovered his wind, 'this one. 'why all three are his own,' returnedvenus. 'so he thinks; but he's used to call thishis own, because it's the one first left to him; the one that was his legacy when itwas all he took under the will.' 'when he shows his light,' said venus,keeping watch upon his dusky figure all the

time, 'drop lower and keep closer.'he went on again, and they followed again. gaining the top of the mound, he turned onhis light--but only partially--and stood it on the ground. a bare lopsided weatherbeaten pole wasplanted in the ashes there, and had been there many a year. hard by this pole, his lantern stood:lighting a few feet of the lower part of it and a little of the ashy surface around,and then casting off a purposeless little clear trail of light into the air. 'he can never be going to dig up the pole!'whispered venus as they dropped low and

kept close.'perhaps it's holler and full of something,' whispered wegg. he was going to dig, with whatsoeverobject, for he tucked up his cuffs and spat on his hands, and then went at it like anold digger as he was. he had no design upon the pole, except thathe measured a shovel's length from it before beginning, nor was it his purpose todig deep. some dozen or so of expert strokessufficed. then, he stopped, looked down into thecavity, bent over it, and took out what appeared to be an ordinary case-bottle: oneof those squat, high-shouldered, short-

necked glass bottles which the dutchman issaid to keep his courage in. as soon as he had done this, he turned offhis lantern, and they could hear that he was filling up the hole in the dark. the ashes being easily moved by a skilfulhand, the spies took this as a hint to make off in good time.accordingly, mr venus slipped past mr wegg and towed him down. but mr wegg's descent was not accomplishedwithout some personal inconvenience, for his self-willed leg sticking into the ashesabout half way down, and time pressing, mr venus took the liberty of hauling him from

his tether by the collar: which occasionedhim to make the rest of the journey on his back, with his head enveloped in the skirtsof his coat, and his wooden leg coming last, like a drag. so flustered was mr wegg by this mode oftravelling, that when he was set on the level ground with his intellectualdevelopments uppermost, he was quite unconscious of his bearings, and had not the least idea where his place of residencewas to be found, until mr venus shoved him into it. even then he staggered round and round,weakly staring about him, until mr venus

with a hard brush brushed his senses intohim and the dust out of him. mr boffin came down leisurely, for thisbrushing process had been well accomplished, and mr venus had had time totake his breath, before he reappeared. that he had the bottle somewhere about himcould not be doubted; where, was not so clear. he wore a large rough coat, buttoned over,and it might be in any one of half a dozen pockets.'what's the matter, wegg?' said mr boffin. 'you are as pale as a candle.' mr wegg replied, with literal exactness,that he felt as if he had had a turn.

'bile,' said mr boffin, blowing out thelight in the lantern, shutting it up, and stowing it away in the breast of his coatas before. 'are you subject to bile, wegg?' mr wegg again replied, with strictadherence to truth, that he didn't think he had ever had a similar sensation in hishead, to anything like the same extent. 'physic yourself to-morrow, wegg,' said mrboffin, 'to be in order for next night. by-the-by, this neighbourhood is going tohave a loss, wegg.' 'a loss, sir?' 'going to lose the mounds.'the friendly movers made such an obvious

effort not to look at one another, thatthey might as well have stared at one another with all their might. 'have you parted with them, mr boffin?'asked silas. 'yes; they're going.mine's as good as gone already.' 'you mean the little one of the three, withthe pole atop, sir.' 'yes,' said mr boffin, rubbing his ear inhis old way, with that new touch of craftiness added to it. 'it has fetched a penny.it'll begin to be carted off to-morrow.' 'have you been out to take leave of yourold friend, sir?' asked silas, jocosely.

'no,' said mr boffin. 'what the devil put that in your head?' he was so sudden and rough, that wegg, whohad been hovering closer and closer to his skirts, despatching the back of his hand onexploring expeditions in search of the bottle's surface, retired two or threepaces. 'no offence, sir,' said wegg, humbly.'no offence.' mr boffin eyed him as a dog might eyeanother dog who wanted his bone; and actually retorted with a low growl, as thedog might have retorted. 'good-night,' he said, after having sunkinto a moody silence, with his hands

clasped behind him, and his eyessuspiciously wandering about wegg.--'no! stop there. i know the way out, and i want no light.' avarice, and the evening's legends ofavarice, and the inflammatory effect of what he had seen, and perhaps the rush ofhis ill-conditioned blood to his brain in his descent, wrought silas wegg to such a pitch of insatiable appetite, that when thedoor closed he made a swoop at it and drew venus along with him.'he mustn't go,' he cried. 'we mustn't let him go?

he has got that bottle about him.we must have that bottle.' 'why, you wouldn't take it by force?' saidvenus, restraining him. 'wouldn't i? yes i would.i'd take it by any force, i'd have it at any price!are you so afraid of one old man as to let him go, you coward?' 'i am so afraid of you, as not to let yougo,' muttered venus, sturdily, clasping him in his arms.'did you hear him?' retorted wegg. 'did you hear him say that he was resolvedto disappoint us?

did you hear him say, you cur, that he wasgoing to have the mounds cleared off, when no doubt the whole place will be rummaged? if you haven't the spirit of a mouse todefend your rights, i have. let me go after him.' as in his wildness he was making a strongstruggle for it, mr venus deemed it expedient to lift him, throw him, and fallwith him; well knowing that, once down, he would not be up again easily with hiswooden leg. so they both rolled on the floor, and, asthey did so, mr boffin shut the gate. >

our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 7 the friendly move takes up a strong position the friendly movers sat upright on thefloor, panting and eyeing one another, after mr boffin had slammed the gate andgone away. in the weak eyes of venus, and in everyreddish dust-coloured hair in his shock of hair, there was a marked distrust of weggand an alertness to fly at him on perceiving the smallest occasion. in the hard-grained face of wegg, and inhis stiff knotty figure (he looked like a german wooden toy), there was expressed apolitic conciliation, which had no

spontaneity in it. both were flushed, flustered, and rumpled,by the late scuffle; and wegg, in coming to the ground, had received a humming knock onthe back of his devoted head, which caused him still to rub it with an air of havingbeen highly--but disagreeably--astonished. each was silent for some time, leaving itto the other to begin. 'brother,' said wegg, at length breakingthe silence, 'you were right, and i was wrong.i forgot myself.' mr venus knowingly cocked his shock ofhair, as rather thinking mr wegg had remembered himself, in respect of appearingwithout any disguise.

'but comrade,' pursued wegg, 'it was neveryour lot to know miss elizabeth, master george, aunt jane, nor uncle parker.' mr venus admitted that he had never knownthose distinguished persons, and added, in effect, that he had never so much asdesired the honour of their acquaintance. 'don't say that, comrade!' retorted wegg:'no, don't say that! because, without having known them, younever can fully know what it is to be stimilated to frenzy by the sight of theusurper.' offering these excusatory words as if theyreflected great credit on himself, mr wegg impelled himself with his hands towards achair in a corner of the room, and there,

after a variety of awkward gambols,attained a perpendicular position. mr venus also rose.'comrade,' said wegg, 'take a seat. comrade, what a speaking countenance isyours!' mr venus involuntarily smoothed hiscountenance, and looked at his hand, as if to see whether any of its speakingproperties came off. 'for clearly do i know, mark you,' pursuedwegg, pointing his words with his forefinger, 'clearly do i know whatquestion your expressive features puts to me.' 'what question?' said venus.'the question,' returned wegg, with a sort

of joyful affability, 'why i didn't mentionsooner, that i had found something. says your speaking countenance to me: "whydidn't you communicate that, when i first come in this evening? why did you keep it back till you thoughtmr boffin had come to look for the article?"your speaking countenance,' said wegg, 'puts it plainer than language. now, you can't read in my face what answeri give?' 'no, i can't,' said venus.'i knew it! and why not?' returned wegg, with the samejoyful candour.

'because i lay no claims to a speakingcountenance. because i am well aware of my deficiencies. all men are not gifted alike.but i can answer in words. and in what words?these. i wanted to give you a delightful sap--pur--ize!' having thus elongated and emphasized theword surprise, mr wegg shook his friend and brother by both hands, and then clapped himon both knees, like an affectionate patron who entreated him not to mention so small a service as that which it had been his happyprivilege to render.

'your speaking countenance,' said wegg,'being answered to its satisfaction, only asks then, "what have you found?" why, i hear it say the words!''well?' retorted venus snappishly, after waiting in vain.'if you hear it say the words, why don't you answer it?' 'hear me out!' said wegg.'i'm a-going to. hear me out! man and brother, partner in feelingsequally with undertakings and actions, i have found a cash-box.''where?'

'--hear me out!' said wegg. (he tried to reserve whatever he could,and, whenever disclosure was forced upon him, broke into a radiant gush of hear meout.) 'on a certain day, sir--' 'when?' said venus bluntly.'n--no,' returned wegg, shaking his head at once observantly, thoughtfully, andplayfully. 'no, sir! that's not your expressive countenancewhich asks that question. that's your voice; merely your voice.to proceed.

on a certain day, sir, i happened to bewalking in the yard--taking my lonely round--for in the words of a friend of myown family, the author of all's well arranged as a duett: "deserted, as you will remember mr venus,by the waning moon,when stars, it will occur to you before i mention it,proclaim night's cheerless noon, on tower, fort, or tented ground,thesentry walks his lonely round,the sentry walks:" --under those circumstances, sir, ihappened to be walking in the yard early one afternoon, and happened to have an ironrod in my hand, with which i have been

sometimes accustomed to beguile the monotony of a literary life, when i struckit against an object not necessary to trouble you by naming--''it is necessary. what object?' demanded venus, in a wrathfultone. 'the pump.--when i struck it against thepump, and found, not only that the top was loose and opened with a lid, but thatsomething in it rattled. that something, comrade, i discovered to bea small flat oblong cash-box. shall i say it was disappointingly light?''there were papers in it,' said venus. 'there your expressive countenance speaksindeed!' cried wegg.

'a paper. the box was locked, tied up, and sealed,and on the outside was a parchment label, with the writing, "my will, john harmon,temporarily deposited here."' 'we must know its contents,' said venus. '--hear me out!' cried wegg.'i said so, and i broke the box open. 'without coming to me!' exclaimed venus.'exactly so, sir!' returned wegg, blandly and buoyantly. 'i see i take you with me!hear, hear, hear! resolved, as your discriminating good senseperceives, that if you was to have a sap--

pur--ize, it should be a complete one! well, sir.and so, as you have honoured me by anticipating, i examined the document.regularly executed, regularly witnessed, very short. inasmuch as he has never made friends, andhas ever had a rebellious family, he, john harmon, gives to nicodemus boffin thelittle mound, which is quite enough for him, and gives the whole rest and residueof his property to the crown.' 'the date of the will that has been proved,must be looked to,' remarked venus. 'it may be later than this one.'

'--hear me out!' cried wegg.'i said so. i paid a shilling (never mind your sixpenceof it) to look up that will. brother, that will is dated months beforethis will. and now, as a fellow-man, and as a partnerin a friendly move,' added wegg, benignantly taking him by both hands again,and clapping him on both knees again, 'say have i completed my labour of love to your perfect satisfaction, and are you sap--pur--ized?' mr venus contemplated his fellow-man andpartner with doubting eyes, and then rejoined stiffly:

'this is great news indeed, mr wegg.there's no denying it. but i could have wished you had told it mebefore you got your fright to-night, and i could have wished you had ever asked me asyour partner what we were to do, before you thought you were dividing aresponsibility.' '--hear me out!' cried wegg.'i knew you was a-going to say so. but alone i bore the anxiety, and alonei'll bear the blame!' this with an air of great magnanimity.'no,' said venus. 'let's see this will and this box.' 'do i understand, brother,' returned weggwith considerable reluctance, 'that it is

your wish to see this will and this--?'mr venus smote the table with his hand. 'hear me out!i'll go and fetch 'em.' after being some time absent, as if in hiscovetousness he could hardly make up his mind to produce the treasure to hispartner, he returned with an old leathern hat-box, into which he had put the other box, for the better preservation ofcommonplace appearances, and for the disarming of suspicion. 'but i don't half like opening it here,'said silas in a low voice, looking around: 'he might come back, he may not be gone; wedon't know what he may be up to, after what

we've seen.' 'there's something in that,' assentedvenus. 'come to my place.' jealous of the custody of the box, and yetfearful of opening it under the existing circumstances, wegg hesitated.'come, i tell you,' repeated venus, chafing, 'to my place.' not very well seeing his way to a refusal,mr wegg then rejoined in a gush, '--hear me out!--certainly.' so he locked up the bower and they setforth: mr venus taking his arm, and keeping

it with remarkable tenacity. they found the usual dim light burning inthe window of mr venus's establishment, imperfectly disclosing to the public theusual pair of preserved frogs, sword in hand, with their point of honour stillunsettled. mr venus had closed his shop door on comingout, and now opened it with the key and shut it again as soon as they were within;but not before he had put up and barred the shutters of the shop window. 'no one can get in without being let in,'said he then, 'and we couldn't be more snug than here.'

so he raked together the yet warm cindersin the rusty grate, and made a fire, and trimmed the candle on the little counter. as the fire cast its flickering gleams hereand there upon the dark greasy walls; the hindoo baby, the african baby, thearticulated english baby, the assortment of skulls, and the rest of the collection, came starting to their various stations asif they had all been out, like their master and were punctual in a general rendezvousto assist at the secret. the french gentleman had grown considerablysince mr wegg last saw him, being now accommodated with a pair of legs and ahead, though his arms were yet in abeyance.

to whomsoever the head had originallybelonged, silas wegg would have regarded it as a personal favour if he had not cutquite so many teeth. silas took his seat in silence on thewooden box before the fire, and venus dropping into his low chair produced fromamong his skeleton hands, his tea-tray and tea-cups, and put the kettle on. silas inwardly approved of thesepreparations, trusting they might end in mr venus's diluting his intellect.'now, sir,' said venus, 'all is safe and quiet. let us see this discovery.'

with still reluctant hands, and not withoutseveral glances towards the skeleton hands, as if he mistrusted that a couple of themmight spring forth and clutch the document, wegg opened the hat-box and revealed the cash-box, opened the cash-box and revealedthe will. he held a corner of it tight, while venus,taking hold of another corner, searchingly and attentively read it. 'was i correct in my account of it,partner?' said mr wegg at length. 'partner, you were,' said mr venus. mr wegg thereupon made an easy, gracefulmovement, as though he would fold it up;

but mr venus held on by his corner.'no, sir,' said mr venus, winking his weak eyes and shaking his head. 'no, partner.the question is now brought up, who is going to take care of this.do you know who is going to take care of this, partner?' 'i am,' said wegg.'oh dear no, partner,' retorted venus. 'that's a mistake.i am. now look here, mr wegg. i don't want to have any words with you,and still less do i want to have any

anatomical pursuits with you.''what do you mean?' said wegg, quickly. 'i mean, partner,' replied venus, slowly,'that it's hardly possible for a man to feel in a more amiable state towardsanother man than i do towards you at this present moment. but i am on my own ground, i am surroundedby the trophies of my art, and my tools is very handy.''what do you mean, mr venus?' asked wegg again. 'i am surrounded, as i have observed,' saidmr venus, placidly, 'by the trophies of my art.

they are numerous, my stock of humanwarious is large, the shop is pretty well crammed, and i don't just now want any moretrophies of my art. but i like my art, and i know how toexercise my art.' 'no man better,' assented mr wegg, with asomewhat staggered air. 'there's the miscellanies of several humanspecimens,' said venus, '(though you mightn't think it) in the box on whichyou're sitting. there's the miscellanies of several humanspecimens, in the lovely compo-one behind the door'; with a nod towards the frenchgentleman. 'it still wants a pair of arms.

i don't say that i'm in any hurry for 'em.''you must be wandering in your mind, partner,' silas remonstrated. 'you'll excuse me if i wander,' returnedvenus; 'i am sometimes rather subject to it. i like my art, and i know how to exercisemy art, and i mean to have the keeping of this document.' 'but what has that got to do with your art,partner?' asked wegg, in an insinuating tone. mr venus winked his chronically-fatiguedeyes both at once, and adjusting the kettle

on the fire, remarked to himself, in ahollow voice, 'she'll bile in a couple of minutes.' silas wegg glanced at the kettle, glancedat the shelves, glanced at the french gentleman behind the door, and shrank alittle as he glanced at mr venus winking his red eyes, and feeling in his waistcoat pocket--as for a lancet, say--with hisunoccupied hand. he and venus were necessarily seated closetogether, as each held a corner of the document, which was but a common sheet ofpaper. 'partner,' said wegg, even moreinsinuatingly than before, 'i propose that

we cut it in half, and each keep a half.' venus shook his shock of hair, as hereplied, 'it wouldn't do to mutilate it, partner.it might seem to be cancelled.' 'partner,' said wegg, after a silence,during which they had contemplated one another, 'don't your speaking countenancesay that you're a-going to suggest a middle course?' venus shook his shock of hair as hereplied, 'partner, you have kept this paper from me once.you shall never keep it from me again. i offer you the box and the label to takecare of, but i'll take care of the paper.'

silas hesitated a little longer, and thensuddenly releasing his corner, and resuming his buoyant and benignant tone, exclaimed,'what's life without trustfulness! what's a fellow-man without honour! you're welcome to it, partner, in a spiritof trust and confidence.' continuing to wink his red eyes bothtogether--but in a self-communing way, and without any show of triumph--mr venusfolded the paper now left in his hand, and locked it in a drawer behind him, andpocketed the key. he then proposed 'a cup of tea, partner?' to which mr wegg returned, 'thank'ee,partner,' and the tea was made and poured

out. 'next,' said venus, blowing at his tea inhis saucer, and looking over it at his confidential friend, 'comes the question,what's the course to be pursued?' on this head, silas wegg had much to say. silas had to say that, he would beg toremind his comrade, brother, and partner, of the impressive passages they had readthat evening; of the evident parallel in mr boffin's mind between them and the late owner of the bower, and the presentcircumstances of the bower; of the bottle; and of the box.

that, the fortunes of his brother andcomrade, and of himself were evidently made, inasmuch as they had but to put theirprice upon this document, and get that price from the minion of fortune and the worm of the hour: who now appeared to beless of a minion and more of a worm than had been previously supposed. that, he considered it plain that suchprice was stateable in a single expressive word, and that the word was, 'halves!'that, the question then arose when 'halves!' should be called. that, here he had a plan of action torecommend, with a conditional clause.

that, the plan of action was that theyshould lie by with patience; that, they should allow the mounds to be graduallylevelled and cleared away, while retaining to themselves their present opportunity of watching the process--which would be, heconceived, to put the trouble and cost of daily digging and delving upon somebodyelse, while they might nightly turn such complete disturbance of the dust to the account of their own privateinvestigations--and that, when the mounds were gone, and they had worked thosechances for their own joint benefit solely, they should then, and not before, explodeon the minion and worm.

but here came the conditional clause, andto this he entreated the special attention of his comrade, brother, and partner. it was not to be borne that the minion andworm should carry off any of that property which was now to be regarded as their ownproperty. when he, mr wegg, had seen the minionsurreptitiously making off with that bottle, and its precious contents unknown,he had looked upon him in the light of a mere robber, and, as such, would have despoiled him of his ill-gotten gain, butfor the judicious interference of his comrade, brother, and partner.

therefore, the conditional clause heproposed was, that, if the minion should return in his late sneaking manner, and if,being closely watched, he should be found to possess himself of anything, no matter what, the sharp sword impending over hishead should be instantly shown him, he should be strictly examined as to what heknew or suspected, should be severely handled by them his masters, and should be kept in a state of abject moral bondage andslavery until the time when they should see fit to permit him to purchase his freedomat the price of half his possessions. if, said mr wegg by way of peroration, hehad erred in saying only 'halves!' he

trusted to his comrade, brother, andpartner not to hesitate to set him right, and to reprove his weakness. it might be more according to the rights ofthings, to say two-thirds; it might be more according to the rights of things, to saythree-fourths. on those points he was ever open tocorrection. mr venus, having wafted his attention tothis discourse over three successive saucers of tea, signified his concurrencein the views advanced. inspirited hereby, mr wegg extended hisright hand, and declared it to be a hand which never yet.without entering into more minute

particulars. mr venus, sticking to his tea, brieflyprofessed his belief as polite forms required of him, that it was a hand whichnever yet. but contented himself with looking at it,and did not take it to his bosom. 'brother,' said wegg, when this happyunderstanding was established, 'i should like to ask you something. you remember the night when i first lookedin here, and found you floating your powerful mind in tea?'still swilling tea, mr venus nodded assent. 'and there you sit, sir,' pursued wegg withan air of thoughtful admiration, 'as if you

had never left off! there you sit, sir, as if you had anunlimited capacity of assimilating the flagrant article! there you sit, sir, in the midst of yourworks, looking as if you'd been called upon for home, sweet home, and was obleeging thecompany! "a exile from home splendour dazzlesin vain,o give you your lowly preparations again, the birds stuffed so sweetly that can'tbe expected to come at your call,give you these with the peace of mind dearerthan all.home, home, home, sweet home!"

--be it ever,' added mr wegg in prose as heglanced about the shop, 'ever so ghastly, all things considered there's no place likeit.' 'you said you'd like to ask something; butyou haven't asked it,' remarked venus, very unsympathetic in manner. 'your peace of mind,' said wegg, offeringcondolence, 'your peace of mind was in a poor way that night.how's it going on? is it looking up at all?' 'she does not wish,' replied mr venus witha comical mixture of indignant obstinacy and tender melancholy, 'to regard herself,nor yet to be regarded, in that particular

light. there's no more to be said.''ah, dear me, dear me!' exclaimed wegg with a sigh, but eyeing him while pretending tokeep him company in eyeing the fire, 'such is woman! and i remember you said that night, sittingthere as i sat here--said that night when your peace of mind was first laid low, thatyou had taken an interest in these very affairs. such is coincidence!''her father,' rejoined venus, and then stopped to swallow more tea, 'her fatherwas mixed up in them.'

'you didn't mention her name, sir, ithink?' observed wegg, pensively. 'no, you didn't mention her name thatnight.' 'pleasant riderhood.' 'in--deed!' cried wegg.'pleasant riderhood. there's something moving in the name.pleasant. dear me! seems to express what she might have been,if she hadn't made that unpleasant remark-- and what she ain't, in consequence ofhaving made it. would it at all pour balm into your wounds,mr venus, to inquire how you came

acquainted with her?' 'i was down at the water-side,' said venus,taking another gulp of tea and mournfully winking at the fire--'looking for parrots'--taking another gulp and stopping. mr wegg hinted, to jog his attention: 'youcould hardly have been out parrot-shooting, in the british climate, sir?''no, no, no,' said venus fretfully. 'i was down at the water-side, looking forparrots brought home by sailors, to buy for stuffing.''ay, ay, ay, sir!' '--and looking for a nice pair ofrattlesnakes, to articulate for a museum-- when i was doomed to fall in with her anddeal with her.

it was just at the time of that discoveryin the river. her father had seen the discovery beingtowed in the river. i made the popularity of the subject areason for going back to improve the acquaintance, and i have never since beenthe man i was. my very bones is rendered flabby bybrooding over it. if they could be brought to me loose, tosort, i should hardly have the face to claim 'em as mine. to such an extent have i fallen off underit.' mr wegg, less interested than he had been,glanced at one particular shelf in the

dark. 'why i remember, mr venus,' he said in atone of friendly commiseration '(for i remember every word that falls from you,sir), i remember that you said that night, you had got up there--and then your wordswas, "never mind."' '--the parrot that i bought of her,' saidvenus, with a despondent rise and fall of his eyes. 'yes; there it lies on its side, dried up;except for its plumage, very like myself. i've never had the heart to prepare it, andi never shall have now.' with a disappointed face, silas mentallyconsigned this parrot to regions more than

tropical, and, seeming for the time to havelost his power of assuming an interest in the woes of mr venus, fell to tightening his wooden leg as a preparation fordeparture: its gymnastic performances of that evening having severely tried itsconstitution. after silas had left the shop, hat-box inhand, and had left mr venus to lower himself to oblivion-point with therequisite weight of tea, it greatly preyed on his ingenuous mind that he had takenthis artist into partnership at all. he bitterly felt that he had overreachedhimself in the beginning, by grasping at mr venus's mere straws of hints, now shown tobe worthless for his purpose.

casting about for ways and means ofdissolving the connexion without loss of money, reproaching himself for having beenbetrayed into an avowal of his secret, and complimenting himself beyond measure on his purely accidental good luck, he beguiledthe distance between clerkenwell and the mansion of the golden dustman. for, silas wegg felt it to be quite out ofthe question that he could lay his head upon his pillow in peace, without firsthovering over mr boffin's house in the superior character of its evil genius. power (unless it be the power of intellector virtue) has ever the greatest attraction

for the lowest natures; and the meredefiance of the unconscious house-front, with his power to strip the roof off the inhabiting family like the roof of a houseof cards, was a treat which had a charm for silas wegg.as he hovered on the opposite side of the street, exulting, the carriage drove up. 'there'll shortly be an end of you,' saidwegg, threatening it with the hat-box. 'your varnish is fading.'mrs boffin descended and went in. 'look out for a fall, my lady dustwoman,'said wegg. bella lightly descended, and ran in afterher.

'how brisk we are!' said wegg. 'you won't run so gaily to your old shabbyhome, my girl. you'll have to go there, though.'a little while, and the secretary came out. 'i was passed over for you,' said wegg. 'but you had better provide yourself withanother situation, young man.' mr boffin's shadow passed upon the blindsof three large windows as he trotted down the room, and passed again as he went back. 'yoop!' cried wegg.'you're there, are you? where's the bottle?you would give your bottle for my box,

dustman!' having now composed his mind for slumber,he turned homeward. such was the greed of the fellow, that hismind had shot beyond halves, two-thirds, three-fourths, and gone straight tospoliation of the whole. 'though that wouldn't quite do,' heconsidered, growing cooler as he got away. 'that's what would happen to him if hedidn't buy us up. we should get nothing by that.' we so judge others by ourselves, that ithad never come into his head before, that he might not buy us up, and might provehonest, and prefer to be poor.

it caused him a slight tremor as it passed;but a very slight one, for the idle thought was gone directly.'he's grown too fond of money for that,' said wegg; 'he's grown too fond of money.' the burden fell into a strain or tune as hestumped along the pavements. all the way home he stumped it out of therattling streets, piano with his own foot, and forte with his wooden leg, 'he's growntoo fond of money for that, he's grown too fond of money.' even next day silas soothed himself withthis melodious strain, when he was called out of bed at daybreak, to set open theyard-gate and admit the train of carts and

horses that came to carry off the littlemound. and all day long, as he kept unwinkingwatch on the slow process which promised to protract itself through many days andweeks, whenever (to save himself from being choked with dust) he patrolled a little cinderous beat he established for thepurpose, without taking his eyes from the diggers, he still stumped to the tune: he'sgrown too fond of money for that, he's grown too fond of money.' our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 8 the end of a long journey

the train of carts and horses came and wentall day from dawn to nightfall, making little or no daily impression on the heapof ashes, though, as the days passed on, the heap was seen to be slowly melting. my lords and gentlemen and honourableboards, when you in the course of your dust-shovelling and cinder-raking havepiled up a mountain of pretentious failure, you must off with your honourable coats for the removal of it, and fall to the workwith the power of all the queen's horses and all the queen's men, or it will comerushing down and bury us alive. yes, verily, my lords and gentlemen andhonourable boards, adapting your catechism

to the occasion, and by god's help so youmust. for when we have got things to the passthat with an enormous treasure at disposal to relieve the poor, the best of the poordetest our mercies, hide their heads from us, and shame us by starving to death in the midst of us, it is a pass impossible ofprosperity, impossible of continuance. it may not be so written in the gospelaccording to podsnappery; you may not 'find these words' for the text of a sermon, inthe returns of the board of trade; but they have been the truth since the foundations of the universe were laid, and they will bethe truth until the foundations of the

universe are shaken by the builder. this boastful handiwork of ours, whichfails in its terrors for the professional pauper, the sturdy breaker of windows andthe rampant tearer of clothes, strikes with a cruel and a wicked stab at the stricken sufferer, and is a horror to the deservingand unfortunate. we must mend it, lords and gentlemen andhonourable boards, or in its own evil hour it will mar every one of us. old betty higden fared upon her pilgrimageas many ruggedly honest creatures, women and men, fare on their toiling way alongthe roads of life.

patiently to earn a spare bare living, andquietly to die, untouched by workhouse hands--this was her highest sublunary hope.nothing had been heard of her at mr boffin's house since she trudged off. the weather had been hard and the roads hadbeen bad, and her spirit was up. a less stanch spirit might have beensubdued by such adverse influences; but the loan for her little outfit was in no partrepaid, and it had gone worse with her than she had foreseen, and she was put upon proving her case and maintaining herindependence. faithful soul!

when she had spoken to the secretary ofthat 'deadness that steals over me at times', her fortitude had made too littleof it. oftener and ever oftener, it came stealingover her; darker and ever darker, like the shadow of advancing death. that the shadow should be deep as it cameon, like the shadow of an actual presence, was in accordance with the laws of thephysical world, for all the light that shone on betty higden lay beyond death. the poor old creature had taken the upwardcourse of the river thames as her general track; it was the track in which her lasthome lay, and of which she had last had

local love and knowledge. she had hovered for a little while in thenear neighbourhood of her abandoned dwelling, and had sold, and knitted andsold, and gone on. in the pleasant towns of chertsey, walton,kingston, and staines, her figure came to be quite well known for some short weeks,and then again passed on. she would take her stand in market-places,where there were such things, on market days; at other times, in the busiest (thatwas seldom very busy) portion of the little quiet high street; at still other times she would explore the outlying roads for greathouses, and would ask leave at the lodge to

pass in with her basket, and would notoften get it. but ladies in carriages would frequentlymake purchases from her trifling stock, and were usually pleased with her bright eyesand her hopeful speech. in these and her clean dress originated afable that she was well to do in the world: one might say, for her station, rich. as making a comfortable provision for itssubject which costs nobody anything, this class of fable has long been popular. in those pleasant little towns on thames,you may hear the fall of the water over the weirs, or even, in still weather, therustle of the rushes; and from the bridge

you may see the young river, dimpled like a young child, playfully gliding away amongthe trees, unpolluted by the defilements that lie in wait for it on its course, andas yet out of hearing of the deep summons of the sea. it were too much to pretend that bettyhigden made out such thoughts; no; but she heard the tender river whispering to manylike herself, 'come to me, come to me! when the cruel shame and terror you have solong fled from, most beset you, come to me! i am the relieving officer appointed byeternal ordinance to do my work; i am not held in estimation according as i shirk it.

my breast is softer than the pauper-nurse's; death in my arms is peacefuller than among the pauper-wards.come to me!' there was abundant place for gentlerfancies too, in her untutored mind. those gentlefolks and their children insidethose fine houses, could they think, as they looked out at her, what it was to bereally hungry, really cold? did they feel any of the wonder about her,that she felt about them? bless the dear laughing children!if they could have seen sick johnny in her arms, would they have cried for pity? if they could have seen dead johnny on thatlittle bed, would they have understood it?

bless the dear children for his sake,anyhow! so with the humbler houses in the littlestreet, the inner firelight shining on the panes as the outer twilight darkened. when the families gathered in-doors there,for the night, it was only a foolish fancy to feel as if it were a little hard in themto close the shutter and blacken the flame. so with the lighted shops, and speculationswhether their masters and mistresses taking tea in a perspective of back-parlour--notso far within but that the flavour of tea and toast came out, mingled with the glow of light, into the street--ate or drank orwore what they sold, with the greater

relish because they dealt in it.so with the churchyard on a branch of the solitary way to the night's sleeping-place. 'ah me!the dead and i seem to have it pretty much to ourselves in the dark and in thisweather! but so much the better for all who arewarmly housed at home.' the poor soul envied no one in bitterness,and grudged no one anything. but, the old abhorrence grew stronger onher as she grew weaker, and it found more sustaining food than she did in herwanderings. now, she would light upon the shamefulspectacle of some desolate creature--or

some wretched ragged groups of either sex,or of both sexes, with children among them, huddled together like the smaller vermin for a little warmth--lingering andlingering on a doorstep, while the appointed evader of the public trust didhis dirty office of trying to weary them out and so get rid of them. now, she would light upon some poor decentperson, like herself, going afoot on a pilgrimage of many weary miles to see someworn-out relative or friend who had been charitably clutched off to a great blank barren union house, as far from old home asthe county jail (the remoteness of which is

always its worst punishment for small ruraloffenders), and in its dietary, and in its lodging, and in its tending of the sick, amuch more penal establishment. sometimes she would hear a newspaper readout, and would learn how the registrar general cast up the units that had withinthe last week died of want and of exposure to the weather: for which that recording angel seemed to have a regular fixed placein his sum, as if they were its halfpence. all such things she would hear discussed,as we, my lords and gentlemen and honourable boards, in our unapproachablemagnificence never hear them, and from all such things she would fly with the wings ofraging despair.

this is not to be received as a figure ofspeech. old betty higden however tired, howeverfootsore, would start up and be driven away by her awakened horror of falling into thehands of charity. it is a remarkable christian improvement,to have made a pursuing fury of the good samaritan; but it was so in this case, andit is a type of many, many, many. two incidents united to intensify the oldunreasoning abhorrence--granted in a previous place to be unreasoning, becausethe people always are unreasoning, and invariably make a point of producing alltheir smoke without fire. one day she was sitting in a market-placeon a bench outside an inn, with her little

wares for sale, when the deadness that shestrove against came over her so heavily that the scene departed from before her eyes; when it returned, she found herselfon the ground, her head supported by some good-natured market-women, and a littlecrowd about her. 'are you better now, mother?' asked one ofthe women. 'do you think you can do nicely now?''have i been ill then?' asked old betty. 'you have had a faint like,' was theanswer, 'or a fit. it ain't that you've been a-struggling,mother, but you've been stiff and numbed.' 'ah!' said betty, recovering her memory.

'it's the numbness.yes. it comes over me at times.' was it gone? the women asked her.'it's gone now,' said betty. 'i shall be stronger than i was afore. many thanks to ye, my dears, and when youcome to be as old as i am, may others do as much for you!' they assisted her to rise, but she couldnot stand yet, and they supported her when she sat down again upon the bench. 'my head's a bit light, and my feet are abit heavy,' said old betty, leaning her face drowsily on the breast of the womanwho had spoken before.

'they'll both come nat'ral in a minute. there's nothing more the matter.''ask her,' said some farmers standing by, who had come out from their market-dinner,'who belongs to her.' 'are there any folks belonging to you,mother?' said the woman. 'yes sure,' answered betty.'i heerd the gentleman say it, but i couldn't answer quick enough. there's plenty belonging to me.don't ye fear for me, my dear.' 'but are any of 'em near here? 'said the men's voices; the women's voiceschiming in when it was said, and prolonging

the strain.'quite near enough,' said betty, rousing herself. 'don't ye be afeard for me, neighbours.''but you are not fit to travel. where are you going?' was the nextcompassionate chorus she heard. 'i'm a going to london when i've sold outall,' said betty, rising with difficulty. 'i've right good friends in london.i want for nothing. i shall come to no harm. thankye.don't ye be afeard for me.' a well-meaning bystander, yellow-leggingedand purple-faced, said hoarsely over his

red comforter, as she rose to her feet,that she 'oughtn't to be let to go'. 'for the lord's love don't meddle with me!'cried old betty, all her fears crowding on her.'i am quite well now, and i must go this minute.' she caught up her basket as she spoke andwas making an unsteady rush away from them, when the same bystander checked her withhis hand on her sleeve, and urged her to come with him and see the parish-doctor. strengthening herself by the utmostexercise of her resolution, the poor trembling creature shook him off, almostfiercely, and took to flight.

nor did she feel safe until she had set amile or two of by-road between herself and the marketplace, and had crept into acopse, like a hunted animal, to hide and recover breath. not until then for the first time did sheventure to recall how she had looked over her shoulder before turning out of thetown, and had seen the sign of the white lion hanging across the road, and the fluttering market booths, and the old greychurch, and the little crowd gazing after her but not attempting to follow her.the second frightening incident was this. she had been again as bad, and had been forsome days better, and was travelling along

by a part of the road where it touched theriver, and in wet seasons was so often overflowed by it that there were tall whiteposts set up to mark the way. a barge was being towed towards her, andshe sat down on the bank to rest and watch as the tow-rope was slackened by a turn ofthe stream and dipped into the water, such a confusion stole into her mind that shethought she saw the forms of her dead children and dead grandchildren peopling the barge, and waving their hands to her insolemn measure; then, as the rope tightened and came up, dropping diamonds, it seemedto vibrate into two parallel ropes and strike her, with a twang, though it was faroff.

when she looked again, there was no barge,no river, no daylight, and a man whom she had never before seen held a candle closeto her face. 'now, missis,' said he; 'where did you comefrom and where are you going to?' the poor soul confusedly asked the counter-question where she was? 'i am the lock,' said the man. 'the lock?''i am the deputy lock, on job, and this is the lock-house.(lock or deputy lock, it's all one, while the t'other man's in the hospital.) what's your parish?''parish!'

she was up from the truckle-bed directly,wildly feeling about her for her basket, and gazing at him in affright. 'you'll be asked the question down town,'said the man. 'they won't let you be more than a casualthere. they'll pass you on to your settlement,missis, with all speed. you're not in a state to be let come uponstrange parishes 'ceptin as a casual.' ''twas the deadness again!' murmured bettyhigden, with her hand to her head. 'it was the deadness, there's not a doubtabout it,' returned the man. 'i should have thought the deadness was amild word for it, if it had been named to

me when we brought you in.have you got any friends, missis?' 'the best of friends, master.' 'i should recommend your looking 'em up ifyou consider 'em game to do anything for you,' said the deputy lock.'have you got any money?' 'just a morsel of money, sir.' 'do you want to keep it?''sure i do!' 'well, you know,' said the deputy lock,shrugging his shoulders with his hands in his pockets, and shaking his head in asulkily ominous manner, 'the parish authorities down town will have it out of

you, if you go on, you may take your alfreddavid.' 'then i'll not go on.' 'they'll make you pay, as fur as your moneywill go,' pursued the deputy, 'for your relief as a casual and for your beingpassed to your parish.' 'thank ye kindly, master, for your warning,thank ye for your shelter, and good night.' 'stop a bit,' said the deputy, striking inbetween her and the door. 'why are you all of a shake, and what'syour hurry, missis?' 'oh, master, master,' returned bettyhigden, i've fought against the parish and fled from it, all my life, and i want todie free of it!'

'i don't know,' said the deputy, withdeliberation, 'as i ought to let you go. i'm a honest man as gets my living by thesweat of my brow, and i may fall into trouble by letting you go. i've fell into trouble afore now, bygeorge, and i know what it is, and it's made me careful. you might be took with your deadness again,half a mile off--or half of half a quarter, for the matter of that--and then it wouldbe asked, why did that there honest deputy lock, let her go, instead of putting hersafe with the parish? that's what a man of his character ought tohave done, it would be argueyfied,' said

the deputy lock, cunningly harping on thestrong string of her terror; 'he ought to have handed her over safe to the parish. that was to be expected of a man of hismerits.' as he stood in the doorway, the poor oldcareworn wayworn woman burst into tears, and clasped her hands, as if in a veryagony she prayed to him. 'as i've told you, master, i've the best offriends. this letter will show how true i spoke, andthey will be thankful for me.' the deputy lock opened the letter with agrave face, which underwent no change as he eyed its contents.but it might have done, if he could have

read them. 'what amount of small change, missis,' hesaid, with an abstracted air, after a little meditation, 'might you call a morselof money?' hurriedly emptying her pocket, old bettylaid down on the table, a shilling, and two sixpenny pieces, and a few pence. 'if i was to let you go instead of handingyou over safe to the parish,' said the deputy, counting the money with his eyes,'might it be your own free wish to leave that there behind you?' 'take it, master, take it, and welcome andthankful!'

'i'm a man,' said the deputy, giving herback the letter, and pocketing the coins, one by one, 'as earns his living by thesweat of his brow;' here he drew his sleeve across his forehead, as if this particular portion of his humble gains were the resultof sheer hard labour and virtuous industry; 'and i won't stand in your way.go where you like.' she was gone out of the lock-house as soonas he gave her this permission, and her tottering steps were on the road again. but, afraid to go back and afraid to goforward; seeing what she fled from, in the sky-glare of the lights of the little townbefore her, and leaving a confused horror

of it everywhere behind her, as if she had escaped it in every stone of every market-place; she struck off by side ways, among which she got bewildered and lost. that night she took refuge from thesamaritan in his latest accredited form, under a farmer's rick; and if--worththinking of, perhaps, my fellow-christians- -the samaritan had in the lonely night, 'passed by on the other side', she wouldhave most devoutly thanked high heaven for her escape from him. the morning found her afoot again, but fastdeclining as to the clearness of her

thoughts, though not as to the steadinessof her purpose. comprehending that her strength wasquitting her, and that the struggle of her life was almost ended, she could neitherreason out the means of getting back to her protectors, nor even form the idea. the overmastering dread, and the proudstubborn resolution it engendered in her to die undegraded, were the two distinctimpressions left in her failing mind. supported only by a sense that she was benton conquering in her life-long fight, she went on. the time was come, now, when the wants ofthis little life were passing away from

her. she could not have swallowed food, though atable had been spread for her in the next field.the day was cold and wet, but she scarcely knew it. she crept on, poor soul, like a criminalafraid of being taken, and felt little beyond the terror of falling down while itwas yet daylight, and being found alive. she had no fear that she would live throughanother night. sewn in the breast of her gown, the moneyto pay for her burial was still intact. if she could wear through the day, and thenlie down to die under cover of the

darkness, she would die independent. if she were captured previously, the moneywould be taken from her as a pauper who had no right to it, and she would be carried tothe accursed workhouse. gaining her end, the letter would be foundin her breast, along with the money, and the gentlefolks would say when it was givenback to them, 'she prized it, did old betty higden; she was true to it; and while she lived, she would never let it be disgracedby falling into the hands of those that she held in horror.' most illogical, inconsequential, and light-headed, this; but travellers in the valley

of the shadow of death are apt to be light-headed; and worn-out old people of low estate have a trick of reasoning as indifferently as they live, and doubtlesswould appreciate our poor law more philosophically on an income of tenthousand a year. so, keeping to byways, and shunning humanapproach, this troublesome old woman hid herself, and fared on all through thedreary day. yet so unlike was she to vagrant hiders ingeneral, that sometimes, as the day advanced, there was a bright fire in hereyes, and a quicker beating at her feeble heart, as though she said exultingly, 'thelord will see me through it!'

by what visionary hands she was led alongupon that journey of escape from the samaritan; by what voices, hushed in thegrave, she seemed to be addressed; how she fancied the dead child in her arms again, and times innumerable adjusted her shawl tokeep it warm; what infinite variety of forms of tower and roof and steeple thetrees took; how many furious horsemen rode at her, crying, 'there she goes! stop!stop, betty higden!' and melted away as they came close; be these things leftuntold. faring on and hiding, hiding and faring on,the poor harmless creature, as though she

were a murderess and the whole country wereup after her, wore out the day, and gained the night. 'water-meadows, or such like,' she hadsometimes murmured, on the day's pilgrimage, when she had raised her headand taken any note of the real objects about her. there now arose in the darkness, a greatbuilding, full of lighted windows. smoke was issuing from a high chimney inthe rear of it, and there was the sound of a water-wheel at the side. between her and the building, lay a pieceof water, in which the lighted windows were

reflected, and on its nearest margin was aplantation of trees. 'i humbly thank the power and the glory,'said betty higden, holding up her withered hands, 'that i have come to my journey'send!' she crept among the trees to the trunk of atree whence she could see, beyond some intervening trees and branches, the lightedwindows, both in their reality and their reflection in the water. she placed her orderly little basket at herside, and sank upon the ground, supporting herself against the tree. it brought to her mind the foot of thecross, and she committed herself to him who

died upon it. her strength held out to enable her toarrange the letter in her breast, so as that it could be seen that she had a paperthere. it had held out for this, and it departedwhen this was done. 'i am safe here,' was her last benumbedthought. 'when i am found dead at the foot of thecross, it will be by some of my own sort; some of the working people who work amongthe lights yonder. i cannot see the lighted windows now, butthey are there. i am thankful for all!'the darkness gone, and a face bending down.

'it cannot be the boofer lady?' 'i don't understand what you say.let me wet your lips again with this brandy.i have been away to fetch it. did you think that i was long gone?' it is as the face of a woman, shaded by aquantity of rich dark hair. it is the earnest face of a woman who isyoung and handsome. but all is over with me on earth, and thismust be an angel. 'have i been long dead?''i don't understand what you say. let me wet your lips again.

i hurried all i could, and brought no oneback with me, lest you should die of the shock of strangers.''am i not dead?' 'i cannot understand what you say. your voice is so low and broken that icannot hear you. do you hear me?''yes.' 'do you mean yes?' 'yes.''i was coming from my work just now, along the path outside (i was up with the night-hands last night), and i heard a groan, and found you lying here.'

'what work, deary?''did you ask what work? at the paper-mill.''where is it?' 'your face is turned up to the sky, and youcan't see it. it is close by.you can see my face, here, between you and the sky?' 'yes.''dare i lift you?' 'not yet.''not even lift your head to get it on my arm? i will do it by very gentle degrees.you shall hardly feel it.'

'not yet.paper. letter.' 'this paper in your breast?''bless ye!' 'let me wet your lips again.am i to open it? to read it?' 'bless ye!'she reads it with surprise, and looks down with a new expression and an added intereston the motionless face she kneels beside. 'i know these names. i have heard them often.''will you send it, my dear?'

'i cannot understand you.let me wet your lips again, and your forehead. there.o poor thing, poor thing!' these words through her fast-droppingtears. 'what was it that you asked me? wait till i bring my ear quite close.''will you send it, my dear?' 'will i send it to the writers?is that your wish? yes, certainly.' 'you'll not give it up to any one butthem?'

'no.' 'as you must grow old in time, and come toyour dying hour, my dear, you'll not give it up to any one but them?''no. most solemnly.' 'never to the parish!' with a convulsedstruggle. 'no. most solemnly.''nor let the parish touch me, not yet so much as look at me!' with another struggle. 'no. faithfully.'a look of thankfulness and triumph lights the worn old face. the eyes, which have been darkly fixed uponthe sky, turn with meaning in them towards

the compassionate face from which the tearsare dropping, and a smile is on the aged lips as they ask: 'what is your name, my dear?''my name is lizzie hexam.' 'i must be sore disfigured.are you afraid to kiss me?' the answer is, the ready pressure of herlips upon the cold but smiling mouth. 'bless ye!now lift me, my love.' lizzie hexam very softly raised theweather-stained grey head, and lifted her as high as heaven. our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 9

somebody becomes the subject of a prediction '"we give thee hearty thanks for that ithath pleased thee to deliver this our sister out of the miseries of this sinfulworld."' so read the reverend frank milvey in a notuntroubled voice, for his heart misgave him that all was not quite right between us andour sister--or say our sister in law--poor law--and that we sometimes read these words in an awful manner, over our sister and ourbrother too. and sloppy--on whom the brave deceased hadnever turned her back until she ran away from him, knowing that otherwise he wouldnot be separated from her--sloppy could not

in his conscience as yet find the heartythanks required of it. selfish in sloppy, and yet excusable, itmay be humbly hoped, because our sister had been more than his mother. the words were read above the ashes ofbetty higden, in a corner of a churchyard near the river; in a churchyard so obscurethat there was nothing in it but grass- mounds, not so much as one singletombstone. it might not be to do an unreasonably greatdeal for the diggers and hewers, in a registering age, if we ticketed theirgraves at the common charge; so that a new generation might know which was which: so

that the soldier, sailor, emigrant, cominghome, should be able to identify the resting-place of father, mother, playmate,or betrothed. for, we turn up our eyes and say that weare all alike in death, and we might turn them down and work the saying out in thisworld, so far. it would be sentimental, perhaps? but how say ye, my lords and gentleman andhonourable boards, shall we not find good standing-room left for a little sentiment,if we look into our crowds? near unto the reverend frank milvey as heread, stood his little wife, john rokesmith the secretary, and bella wilfer.these, over and above sloppy, were the

mourners at the lowly grave. not a penny had been added to the moneysewn in her dress: what her honest spirit had so long projected, was fulfilled. 'i've took it in my head,' said sloppy,laying it, inconsolable, against the church door, when all was done: i've took it in mywretched head that i might have sometimes turned a little harder for her, and it cutsme deep to think so now.' the reverend frank milvey, comfortingsloppy, expounded to him how the best of us were more or less remiss in our turnings atour respective mangles--some of us very much so--and how we were all a halting,failing, feeble, and inconstant crew.

'she warn't, sir,' said sloppy, taking thisghostly counsel rather ill, in behalf of his late benefactress. 'let us speak for ourselves, sir.she went through with whatever duty she had to do. she went through with me, she went throughwith the minders, she went through with herself, she went through with everythink. o mrs higden, mrs higden, you was a womanand a mother and a mangler in a million million!' with those heartfelt words, sloppy removedhis dejected head from the church door, and

took it back to the grave in the corner,and laid it down there, and wept alone. 'not a very poor grave,' said the reverendfrank milvey, brushing his hand across his eyes, 'when it has that homely figure onit. richer, i think, than it could be made bymost of the sculpture in westminster abbey!'they left him undisturbed, and passed out at the wicket-gate. the water-wheel of the paper-mill wasaudible there, and seemed to have a softening influence on the bright wintryscene. they had arrived but a little while before,and lizzie hexam now told them the little

she could add to the letter in which shehad enclosed mr rokesmith's letter and had asked for their instructions. this was merely how she had heard thegroan, and what had afterwards passed, and how she had obtained leave for the remainsto be placed in that sweet, fresh, empty store-room of the mill from which they had just accompanied them to the churchyard,and how the last requests had been religiously observed.'i could not have done it all, or nearly all, of myself,' said lizzie. 'i should not have wanted the will; but ishould not have had the power, without our

managing partner.''surely not the jew who received us?' said mrs milvey. ('my dear,' observed her husband inparenthesis, 'why not?') 'the gentleman certainly is a jew,' saidlizzie, 'and the lady, his wife, is a jewess, and i was first brought to theirnotice by a jew. but i think there cannot be kinder peoplein the world.' 'but suppose they try to convert you!'suggested mrs milvey, bristling in her good little way, as a clergyman's wife. 'to do what, ma'am?' asked lizzie, with amodest smile.

'to make you change your religion,' saidmrs milvey. lizzie shook her head, still smiling. 'they have never asked me what my religionis. they asked me what my story was, and i toldthem. they asked me to be industrious andfaithful, and i promised to be so. they most willingly and cheerfully do theirduty to all of us who are employed here, and we try to do ours to them. indeed they do much more than their duty tous, for they are wonderfully mindful of us in many ways.

'it is easy to see you're a favourite, mydear,' said little mrs milvey, not quite pleased. 'it would be very ungrateful in me to say iam not,' returned lizzie, 'for i have been already raised to a place of confidencehere. but that makes no difference in theirfollowing their own religion and leaving all of us to ours.they never talk of theirs to us, and they never talk of ours to us. if i was the last in the mill, it would bejust the same. they never asked me what religion that poorthing had followed.'

'my dear,' said mrs milvey, aside to thereverend frank, 'i wish you would talk to her.' 'my dear,' said the reverend frank aside tohis good little wife, 'i think i will leave it to somebody else.the circumstances are hardly favourable. there are plenty of talkers going about, mylove, and she will soon find one.' while this discourse was interchanging,both bella and the secretary observed lizzie hexam with great attention. brought face to face for the first timewith the daughter of his supposed murderer, it was natural that john harmon should havehis own secret reasons for a careful

scrutiny of her countenance and manner. bella knew that lizzie's father had beenfalsely accused of the crime which had had so great an influence on her own life andfortunes; and her interest, though it had no secret springs, like that of thesecretary, was equally natural. both had expected to see something verydifferent from the real lizzie hexam, and thus it fell out that she became theunconscious means of bringing them together. for, when they had walked on with her tothe little house in the clean village by the paper-mill, where lizzie had a lodgingwith an elderly couple employed in the

establishment, and when mrs milvey and bella had been up to see her room and hadcome down, the mill bell rang. this called lizzie away for the time, andleft the secretary and bella standing rather awkwardly in the small street; mrsmilvey being engaged in pursuing the village children, and her investigations whether they were in danger of becomingchildren of israel; and the reverend frank being engaged--to say the truth--in evadingthat branch of his spiritual functions, and getting out of sight surreptitiously. bella at length said:'hadn't we better talk about the commission

we have undertaken, mr rokesmith?''by all means,' said the secretary. 'i suppose,' faltered bella, 'that we areboth commissioned, or we shouldn't both be here?''i suppose so,' was the secretary's answer. 'when i proposed to come with mr and mrsmilvey,' said bella, 'mrs boffin urged me to do so, in order that i might give her mysmall report--it's not worth anything, mr rokesmith, except for it's being a woman's- -which indeed with you may be a freshreason for it's being worth nothing--of lizzie hexam.''mr boffin,' said the secretary, 'directed me to come for the same purpose.'

as they spoke they were leaving the littlestreet and emerging on the wooded landscape by the river. 'you think well of her, mr rokesmith?'pursued bella, conscious of making all the advances.'i think highly of her.' 'i am so glad of that! something quite refined in her beauty, isthere not?' 'her appearance is very striking.''there is a shade of sadness upon her that is quite touching. at least i--i am not setting up my own pooropinion, you know, mr rokesmith,' said

bella, excusing and explaining herself in apretty shy way; 'i am consulting you.' 'i noticed that sadness. i hope it may not,' said the secretary in alower voice, 'be the result of the false accusation which has been retracted.' when they had passed on a little furtherwithout speaking, bella, after stealing a glance or two at the secretary, suddenlysaid: 'oh, mr rokesmith, don't be hard with me,don't be stern with me; be magnanimous! i want to talk with you on equal terms.' the secretary as suddenly brightened, andreturned: 'upon my honour i had no thought

but for you.i forced myself to be constrained, lest you might misinterpret my being more natural. there.it's gone.' 'thank you,' said bella, holding out herlittle hand. 'forgive me.' 'no!' cried the secretary, eagerly.'forgive me!' for there were tears in her eyes, and theywere prettier in his sight (though they smote him on the heart rather reproachfullytoo) than any other glitter in the world. when they had walked a little further:

'you were going to speak to me,' said thesecretary, with the shadow so long on him quite thrown off and cast away, 'aboutlizzie hexam. so was i going to speak to you, if i couldhave begun.' 'now that you can begin, sir,' returnedbella, with a look as if she italicized the word by putting one of her dimples underit, 'what were you going to say?' 'you remember, of course, that in her shortletter to mrs boffin--short, but containing everything to the purpose--she stipulatedthat either her name, or else her place of residence, must be kept strictly a secretamong us.' bella nodded yes.'it is my duty to find out why she made

that stipulation. i have it in charge from mr boffin todiscover, and i am very desirous for myself to discover, whether that retractedaccusation still leaves any stain upon her. i mean whether it places her at anydisadvantage towards any one, even towards herself.''yes,' said bella, nodding thoughtfully; 'i understand. that seems wise, and considerate.''you may not have noticed, miss wilfer, that she has the same kind of interest inyou, that you have in her. just as you are attracted by her beaut--byher appearance and manner, she is attracted

by yours.' 'i certainly have not noticed it,' returnedbella, again italicizing with the dimple, 'and i should have given her credit for--' the secretary with a smile held up hishand, so plainly interposing 'not for better taste', that bella's colour deepenedover the little piece of coquetry she was checked in. 'and so,' resumed the secretary, 'if youwould speak with her alone before we go away from here, i feel quite sure that anatural and easy confidence would arise between you.

of course you would not be asked to betrayit; and of course you would not, if you were. but if you do not object to put thisquestion to her--to ascertain for us her own feeling in this one matter--you can doso at a far greater advantage than i or any else could. mr boffin is anxious on the subject.and i am,' added the secretary after a moment, 'for a special reason, veryanxious.' 'i shall be happy, mr rokesmith,' returnedbella, 'to be of the least use; for i feel, after the serious scene of to-day, that iam useless enough in this world.'

'don't say that,' urged the secretary. 'oh, but i mean that,' said bella, raisingher eyebrows. 'no one is useless in this world,' retortedthe secretary, 'who lightens the burden of it for any one else.' 'but i assure you i don't, mr rokesmith,'said bella, half-crying. 'not for your father?''dear, loving, self-forgetting, easily- satisfied pa! oh, yes!he thinks so.' 'it is enough if he only thinks so,' saidthe secretary.

'excuse the interruption: i don't like tohear you depreciate yourself.' 'but you once depreciated me, sir,' thoughtbella, pouting, 'and i hope you may be satisfied with the consequences you broughtupon your head!' however, she said nothing to that purpose;she even said something to a different purpose. 'mr rokesmith, it seems so long since wespoke together naturally, that i am embarrassed in approaching another subject.mr boffin. you know i am very grateful to him; don'tyou? you know i feel a true respect for him, andam bound to him by the strong ties of his

own generosity; now don't you?' 'unquestionably.and also that you are his favourite companion.''that makes it,' said bella, 'so very difficult to speak of him. but--.does he treat you well?' 'you see how he treats me,' the secretaryanswered, with a patient and yet proud air. 'yes, and i see it with pain,' said bella,very energetically. the secretary gave her such a radiant look,that if he had thanked her a hundred times, he could not have said as much as the looksaid.

'i see it with pain,' repeated bella, 'andit often makes me miserable. miserable, because i cannot bear to besupposed to approve of it, or have any indirect share in it. miserable, because i cannot bear to beforced to admit to myself that fortune is spoiling mr boffin.' 'miss wilfer,' said the secretary, with abeaming face, 'if you could know with what delight i make the discovery that fortuneisn't spoiling you, you would know that it more than compensates me for any slight atany other hands.' 'oh, don't speak of me,' said bella, givingherself an impatient little slap with her

glove. 'you don't know me as well as--''as you know yourself?' suggested the secretary, finding that she stopped.'do you know yourself?' 'i know quite enough of myself,' saidbella, with a charming air of being inclined to give herself up as a bad job,'and i don't improve upon acquaintance. but mr boffin.' 'that mr boffin's manner to me, orconsideration for me, is not what it used to be,' observed the secretary, 'must beadmitted. it is too plain to be denied.'

'are you disposed to deny it, mrrokesmith?' asked bella, with a look of wonder. 'ought i not to be glad to do so, if icould: though it were only for my own sake?' 'truly,' returned bella, 'it must try youvery much, and--you must please promise me that you won't take ill what i am going toadd, mr rokesmith?' 'i promise it with all my heart.' '--and it must sometimes, i should think,'said bella, hesitating, 'a little lower you in your own estimation?'

assenting with a movement of his head,though not at all looking as if it did, the secretary replied: 'i have very strong reasons, miss wilfer,for bearing with the drawbacks of my position in the house we both inhabit. believe that they are not all mercenary,although i have, through a series of strange fatalities, faded out of my placein life. if what you see with such a gracious andgood sympathy is calculated to rouse my pride, there are other considerations (andthose you do not see) urging me to quiet endurance.

the latter are by far the stronger.' 'i think i have noticed, mr rokesmith,'said bella, looking at him with curiosity, as not quite making him out, 'that yourepress yourself, and force yourself, to act a passive part.' 'you are right.i repress myself and force myself to act a part.it is not in tameness of spirit that i submit. i have a settled purpose.''and a good one, i hope,' said bella. 'and a good one, i hope,' he answered,looking steadily at her.

'sometimes i have fancied, sir,' saidbella, turning away her eyes, 'that your great regard for mrs boffin is a verypowerful motive with you.' 'you are right again; it is. i would do anything for her, bear anythingfor her. there are no words to express how i esteemthat good, good woman.' 'as i do too! may i ask you one thing more, mrrokesmith?' 'anything more.''of course you see that she really suffers, when mr boffin shows how he is changing?'

'i see it, every day, as you see it, and amgrieved to give her pain.' 'to give her pain?' said bella, repeatingthe phrase quickly, with her eyebrows raised. 'i am generally the unfortunate cause ofit.' 'perhaps she says to you, as she often saysto me, that he is the best of men, in spite of all.' 'i often overhear her, in her honest andbeautiful devotion to him, saying so to you,' returned the secretary, with the samesteady look, 'but i cannot assert that she ever says so to me.'

bella met the steady look for a moment witha wistful, musing little look of her own, and then, nodding her pretty head severaltimes, like a dimpled philosopher (of the very best school) who was moralizing on life, heaved a little sigh, and gave upthings in general for a bad job, as she had previously been inclined to give upherself. but, for all that, they had a very pleasantwalk. the trees were bare of leaves, and theriver was bare of water-lilies; but the sky was not bare of its beautiful blue, and thewater reflected it, and a delicious wind ran with the stream, touching the surfacecrisply.

perhaps the old mirror was never yet madeby human hands, which, if all the images it has in its time reflected could pass acrossits surface again, would fail to reveal some scene of horror or distress. but the great serene mirror of the riverseemed as if it might have reproduced all it had ever reflected between those placidbanks, and brought nothing to the light save what was peaceful, pastoral, andblooming. so, they walked, speaking of the newlyfilled-up grave, and of johnny, and of many things. so, on their return, they met brisk mrsmilvey coming to seek them, with the

agreeable intelligence that there was nofear for the village children, there being a christian school in the village, and no worse judaical interference with it than toplant its garden. so, they got back to the village as lizziehexam was coming from the paper-mill, and bella detached herself to speak with her inher own home. 'i am afraid it is a poor room for you,'said lizzie, with a smile of welcome, as she offered the post of honour by thefireside. 'not so poor as you think, my dear,'returned bella, 'if you knew all.' indeed, though attained by some wonderfulwinding narrow stairs, which seemed to have

been erected in a pure white chimney, andthough very low in the ceiling, and very rugged in the floor, and rather blinking as to the proportions of its lattice window,it was a pleasanter room than that despised chamber once at home, in which bella hadfirst bemoaned the miseries of taking lodgers. the day was closing as the two girls lookedat one another by the fireside. the dusky room was lighted by the fire. the grate might have been the old brazier,and the glow might have been the old hollow down by the flare.

'it's quite new to me,' said lizzie, 'to bevisited by a lady so nearly of my own age, and so pretty, as you.it's a pleasure to me to look at you.' 'i have nothing left to begin with,'returned bella, blushing, 'because i was going to say that it was a pleasure to meto look at you, lizzie. but we can begin without a beginning, can'twe?' lizzie took the pretty little hand that washeld out in as pretty a little frankness. 'now, dear,' said bella, drawing her chaira little nearer, and taking lizzie's arm as if they were going out for a walk, 'i amcommissioned with something to say, and i dare say i shall say it wrong, but i won'tif i can help it.

it is in reference to your letter to mr andmrs boffin, and this is what it is. let me see. oh yes!this is what it is.' with this exordium, bella set forth thatrequest of lizzie's touching secrecy, and delicately spoke of that false accusationand its retraction, and asked might she beg to be informed whether it had any bearing,near or remote, on such request. 'i feel, my dear,' said bella, quiteamazing herself by the business-like manner in which she was getting on, 'that thesubject must be a painful one to you, but i am mixed up in it also; for--i don't know

whether you may know it or suspect it--i amthe willed-away girl who was to have been married to the unfortunate gentleman, if hehad been pleased to approve of me. so i was dragged into the subject withoutmy consent, and you were dragged into it without your consent, and there is verylittle to choose between us.' 'i had no doubt,' said lizzie, 'that youwere the miss wilfer i have often heard named.can you tell me who my unknown friend is?' 'unknown friend, my dear?' said bella. 'who caused the charge against poor fatherto be contradicted, and sent me the written paper.'bella had never heard of him.

had no notion who he was. 'i should have been glad to thank him,'returned lizzie. 'he has done a great deal for me.i must hope that he will let me thank him some day. you asked me has it anything to do--''it or the accusation itself,' bella put in. 'yes. has either anything to do with mywishing to live quite secret and retired here? no.' as lizzie hexam shook her head in givingthis reply and as her glance sought the

fire, there was a quiet resolution in herfolded hands, not lost on bella's bright eyes. 'have you lived much alone?' asked bella.'yes. it's nothing new to me. i used to be always alone many hourstogether, in the day and in the night, when poor father was alive.' 'you have a brother, i have been told?''i have a brother, but he is not friendly with me.he is a very good boy though, and has raised himself by his industry. i don't complain of him.'as she said it, with her eyes upon the

fire-glow, there was an instantaneousescape of distress into her face. bella seized the moment to touch her hand. 'lizzie, i wish you would tell me whetheryou have any friend of your own sex and age.''i have lived that lonely kind of life, that i have never had one,' was the answer. 'nor i neither,' said bella. 'not that my life has been lonely, for icould have sometimes wished it lonelier, instead of having ma going on like thetragic muse with a face-ache in majestic corners, and lavvy being spiteful--thoughof course i am very fond of them both.

i wish you could make a friend of me,lizzie. do you think you could? i have no more of what they call character,my dear, than a canary-bird, but i know i am trustworthy.' the wayward, playful, affectionate nature,giddy for want of the weight of some sustaining purpose, and capricious becauseit was always fluttering among little things, was yet a captivating one. to lizzie it was so new, so pretty, at onceso womanly and so childish, that it won her completely.

and when bella said again, 'do you thinkyou could, lizzie?' with her eyebrows raised, her head inquiringly on one side,and an odd doubt about it in her own bosom, lizzie showed beyond all question that shethought she could. 'tell me, my dear,' said bella, 'what isthe matter, and why you live like this.' lizzie presently began, by way of prelude,'you must have many lovers--' when bella checked her with a little scream ofastonishment. 'my dear, i haven't one!' 'not one?''well! perhaps one,' said bella.'i am sure i don't know.

i had one, but what he may think about itat the present time i can't say. perhaps i have half a one (of course idon't count that idiot, george sampson). however, never mind me. i want to hear about you.''there is a certain man,' said lizzie, 'a passionate and angry man, who says he lovesme, and who i must believe does love me. he is the friend of my brother. i shrank from him within myself when mybrother first brought him to me; but the last time i saw him he terrified me morethan i can say.' there she stopped.

'did you come here to escape from him,lizzie?' 'i came here immediately after he soalarmed me.' 'are you afraid of him here?' 'i am not timid generally, but i am alwaysafraid of him. i am afraid to see a newspaper, or to heara word spoken of what is done in london, lest he should have done some violence.' 'then you are not afraid of him foryourself, dear?' said bella, after pondering on the words.'i should be even that, if i met him about here.

i look round for him always, as i pass toand fro at night.' 'are you afraid of anything he may do tohimself in london, my dear?' 'no. he might be fierce enough even to dosome violence to himself, but i don't think of that.' 'then it would almost seem, dear,' saidbella quaintly, 'as if there must be somebody else?' lizzie put her hands before her face for amoment before replying: 'the words are always in my ears, and the blow he struckupon a stone wall as he said them is always before my eyes.

i have tried hard to think it not worthremembering, but i cannot make so little of his hand was trickling down with blood ashe said to me, "then i hope that i may never kill him!" rather startled, bella made and clasped agirdle of her arms round lizzie's waist, and then asked quietly, in a soft voice, asthey both looked at the fire: 'kill him! is this man so jealous, then?''of a gentleman,' said lizzie. '--i hardly know how to tell you--of agentleman far above me and my way of life, who broke father's death to me, and hasshown an interest in me since.'

'does he love you?' lizzie shook her head.'does he admire you?' lizzie ceased to shake her head, andpressed her hand upon her living girdle. 'is it through his influence that you camehere?' 'o no! and of all the world i wouldn't have himknow that i am here, or get the least clue where to find me.''lizzie, dear! why?' asked bella, in amazement at thisburst. but then quickly added, reading lizzie'sface: 'no. don't say why.

that was a foolish question of mine. i see, i see.'there was silence between them. lizzie, with a drooping head, glanced downat the glow in the fire where her first fancies had been nursed, and her firstescape made from the grim life out of which she had plucked her brother, foreseeing herreward. 'you know all now,' she said, raising hereyes to bella's. 'there is nothing left out. this is my reason for living secret here,with the aid of a good old man who is my true friend.

for a short part of my life at home withfather, i knew of things--don't ask me what--that i set my face against, and triedto better. i don't think i could have done more, then,without letting my hold on father go; but they sometimes lie heavy on my mind.by doing all for the best, i hope i may wear them out.' 'and wear out too,' said bella soothingly,'this weakness, lizzie, in favour of one who is not worthy of it.' 'no. i don't want to wear that out,' wasthe flushed reply, 'nor do i want to believe, nor do i believe, that he is notworthy of it.

what should i gain by that, and how muchshould i lose!' bella's expressive little eyebrowsremonstrated with the fire for some short time before she rejoined: 'don't think that i press you, lizzie; butwouldn't you gain in peace, and hope, and even in freedom? wouldn't it be better not to live a secretlife in hiding, and not to be shut out from your natural and wholesome prospects?forgive my asking you, would that be no gain?' 'does a woman's heart that--that has thatweakness in it which you have spoken of,'

returned lizzie, 'seek to gain anything?' the question was so directly at variancewith bella's views in life, as set forth to her father, that she said internally,'there, you little mercenary wretch! do you hear that? ain't you ashamed of your self?' andunclasped the girdle of her arms, expressly to give herself a penitential poke in theside. 'but you said, lizzie,' observed bella,returning to her subject when she had administered this chastisement, 'that youwould lose, besides. would you mind telling me what you wouldlose, lizzie?'

'i should lose some of the bestrecollections, best encouragements, and best objects, that i carry through my dailylife. i should lose my belief that if i had beenhis equal, and he had loved me, i should have tried with all my might to make himbetter and happier, as he would have made me. i should lose almost all the value that iput upon the little learning i have, which is all owing to him, and which i conqueredthe difficulties of, that he might not think it thrown away upon me. i should lose a kind of picture of him--orof what he might have been, if i had been a

lady, and he had loved me--which is alwayswith me, and which i somehow feel that i could not do a mean or a wrong thingbefore. i should leave off prizing the remembrancethat he has done me nothing but good since i have known him, and that he has made achange within me, like--like the change in the grain of these hands, which were coarse, and cracked, and hard, and brownwhen i rowed on the river with father, and are softened and made supple by this newwork as you see them now.' they trembled, but with no weakness, as sheshowed them. 'understand me, my dear;' thus she went on.

i have never dreamed of the possibility ofhis being anything to me on this earth but the kind picture that i know i could notmake you understand, if the understanding was not in your own breast already. i have no more dreamed of the possibilityof my being his wife, than he ever has--and words could not be stronger than that.and yet i love him. i love him so much, and so dearly, thatwhen i sometimes think my life may be but a weary one, i am proud of it and glad of it. i am proud and glad to suffer something forhim, even though it is of no service to him, and he will never know of it or carefor it.'

bella sat enchained by the deep, unselfishpassion of this girl or woman of her own age, courageously revealing itself in theconfidence of her sympathetic perception of its truth. and yet she had never experienced anythinglike it, or thought of the existence of anything like it. 'it was late upon a wretched night,' saidlizzie, 'when his eyes first looked at me in my old river-side home, very differentfrom this. his eyes may never look at me again. i would rather that they never did; i hopethat they never may.

but i would not have the light of themtaken out of my life, for anything my life can give me. i have told you everything now, my dear.if it comes a little strange to me to have parted with it, i am not sorry. i had no thought of ever parting with asingle word of it, a moment before you came in; but you came in, and my mind changed.'bella kissed her on the cheek, and thanked her warmly for her confidence. 'i only wish,' said bella, 'i was moredeserving of it.' 'more deserving of it?' repeated lizzie,with an incredulous smile.

'i don't mean in respect of keeping it,'said bella, 'because any one should tear me to bits before getting at a syllable of it--though there's no merit in that, for i am naturally as obstinate as a pig. what i mean is, lizzie, that i am a mereimpertinent piece of conceit, and you shame lizzie put up the pretty brown hair thatcame tumbling down, owing to the energy with which bella shook her head; and sheremonstrated while thus engaged, 'my dear!' 'oh, it's all very well to call me yourdear,' said bella, with a pettish whimper, 'and i am glad to be called so, though ihave slight enough claim to be. but i am such a nasty little thing!'

'my dear!' urged lizzie again.'such a shallow, cold, worldly, limited little brute!' said bella, bringing out herlast adjective with culminating force. 'do you think,' inquired lizzie with herquiet smile, the hair being now secured, 'that i don't know better?''do you know better though?' said bella. 'do you really believe you know better? oh, i should be so glad if you did knowbetter, but i am so very much afraid that i must know best!' lizzie asked her, laughing outright,whether she ever saw her own face or heard her own voice?

'i suppose so,' returned bella; 'i look inthe glass often enough, and i chatter like a magpie.' 'i have seen your face, and heard yourvoice, at any rate,' said lizzie, 'and they have tempted me to say to you--with acertainty of not going wrong--what i thought i should never say to any one. does that look ill?''no, i hope it doesn't,' pouted bella, stopping herself in something between ahumoured laugh and a humoured sob. 'i used once to see pictures in the fire,'said lizzie playfully, 'to please my brother.shall i tell you what i see down there

where the fire is glowing?' they had risen, and were standing on thehearth, the time being come for separating; each had drawn an arm around the other totake leave. 'shall i tell you,' asked lizzie, 'what isee down there?' 'limited little b?' suggested bella withher eyebrows raised. 'a heart well worth winning, and well won. a heart that, once won, goes through fireand water for the winner, and never changes, and is never daunted.''girl's heart?' asked bella, with accompanying eyebrows.

lizzie nodded.'and the figure to which it belongs--' is yours,' suggested bella.'no. most clearly and distinctly yours.' so the interview terminated with pleasantwords on both sides, and with many reminders on the part of bella that theywere friends, and pledges that she would soon come down into that part of thecountry again. there with lizzie returned to heroccupation, and bella ran over to the little inn to rejoin her company. 'you look rather serious, miss wilfer,' wasthe secretary's first remark. 'i feel rather serious,' returned misswilfer.

she had nothing else to tell him but thatlizzie hexam's secret had no reference whatever to the cruel charge, or itswithdrawal. oh yes though! said bella; she might aswell mention one other thing; lizzie was very desirous to thank her unknown friendwho had sent her the written retractation. was she, indeed? observed the secretary. ah!bella asked him, had he any notion who that unknown friend might be?he had no notion whatever. they were on the borders of oxfordshire, sofar had poor old betty higden strayed. they were to return by the train presently,and, the station being near at hand, the

reverend frank and mrs frank, and sloppyand bella and the secretary, set out to walk to it. few rustic paths are wide enough for five,and bella and the secretary dropped behind. 'can you believe, mr rokesmith,' saidbella, 'that i feel as if whole years had passed since i went into lizzie hexam'scottage?' 'we have crowded a good deal into the day,'he returned, 'and you were much affected in the churchyard.you are over-tired.' 'no, i am not at all tired. i have not quite expressed what i mean.i don't mean that i feel as if a great

space of time had gone by, but that i feelas if much had happened--to myself, you know.' 'for good, i hope?''i hope so,' said bella. 'you are cold; i felt you tremble.pray let me put this wrapper of mine about you. may i fold it over this shoulder withoutinjuring your dress? now, it will be too heavy and too long.let me carry this end over my arm, as you have no arm to give me.' yes she had though.how she got it out, in her muffled state,

heaven knows; but she got it out somehow--there it was--and slipped it through the secretary's. 'i have had a long and interesting talkwith lizzie, mr rokesmith, and she gave me her full confidence.''she could not withhold it,' said the secretary. 'i wonder how you come,' said bella,stopping short as she glanced at him, 'to say to me just what she said about it!''i infer that it must be because i feel just as she felt about it.' 'and how was that, do you mean to say,sir?' asked bella, moving again.

'that if you were inclined to win herconfidence--anybody's confidence--you were sure to do it.' the railway, at this point, knowinglyshutting a green eye and opening a red one, they had to run for it.as bella could not run easily so wrapped up, the secretary had to help her. when she took her opposite place in thecarriage corner, the brightness in her face was so charming to behold, that on herexclaiming, 'what beautiful stars and what a glorious night!' the secretary said 'yes,' but seemed to prefer to see thenight and the stars in the light of her

lovely little countenance, to looking outof window. o boofer lady, fascinating boofer lady! if i were but legally executor of johnny'swill! if i had but the right to pay your legacyand to take your receipt!--something to this purpose surely mingled with the blastof the train as it cleared the stations, all knowingly shutting up their green eyes and opening their red ones when theyprepared to let the boofer lady pass.

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