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U.0.UR, MU1’-.UA-Lx.FRIE"ND5 J‘. '375
" If you’ro out upon the river pretty nigh every tide, .
and if,you want to find a manlor woman7in;the river,
you’ll greatly help your, luck,’ Miss iAbbey,&by knocking
it man or woman on .jthe'-head aforehnnd anddpitching
e1nin.’,'-7 :,.v ,, ,' 2 I ., .M , .., ,4.
“ Gracious Lud 1.”. was the involuntary exclamation of
MissPotterson. , > v . g a :, r. 4;
. ff Mind you I”, returned theother, stretching forward
over the half door to throw his words into the ‘bar ; for
his voicejwas as if the head of his boat's mop were down
his throat; ‘,‘I,say so, Miss =Abbcy l‘:,AHd mind you’!
,I’ll follow him up, Miss -Abbey lg 'And mind:you ! - I'll
bring him to book at last, if it's mwentytyear hence, I
will 1’ VVho’s he, to be favoured alongvof, his daughter?
Ain't I got a daughterof my ownl’T ' ; I I J ‘i 5 if
VVith that flourish, and seeming to have talked him-
self rather more drunk and much more ferocious than he
hadxbegnn by being,‘ Mr. Riderhood took up his pint
pot and swaggered off to the tap-room. - :1
.Gafier was not there, but a pretty stron mnsteri of
.Miss Abbey's pupils were, who exhibited, w on occasion
required, the greatest docility. , On the ,clock’s< striking
ten, and Miss Abbey’s appearing at the door, ‘and address-
ing Lacccrtain person in a faded sscarlet jacket, 1 with
,“George Joneskyour time's-up I 31 told your wife you
shyouldpbe punctual,”: Jones submissivelyrose, gave‘ the
company good-night, and retired.‘ At half-past ten, on ‘
Miss'Abbey’s looking, in again, and saying, -“VVilliam
,VVilliams, Bob Glamour,,and Jonathan, you are all due,”
lYilliams,' Bob,-and Jonathan with similar rneekness
took. their leave and evaporated. - Greater wonder-..than
these, when a bottle-nosed person in a- glazed hat had
after some considerable hesitation ordered another glass
of gin and water of the attendant potboy, and when Miss
Abbey, instead of sending it, appeared in person, saying,
.“Captain Joey you have had.as much-as -willldo you '
good," not only did, the captain feebly rub his knees and
contemplate,the fire ‘without offering a word of protest,
but the rest of the company murmured, ‘.‘ Ay,'ay, Cap-
tain I . Miss Abbey's right ; you be - guided by Miss Ab-
bey, Captain.” Nor, was Miss Abbey’s vigilance in any-
wiseabated by this submission, but rather sharpened;
for; looking round on the deferential faces of her school,
and descrying two other young persons in need of admoni-
tion, she thus bestowed it: “Tom Tootle, it’s;time fora
oung fellow-who’s going to be married next month, to
be at home and asleep. And you needn’t nudge him’,
Mr. Jack Mullins,'for I know your work begins early.'to-
morrow, and I say the same to you. So=come I - Good-
night, like good lads !" Upon which, the ‘blushing
Tootle looked to Mullins, and the blushing’ Mullins
looked [to Tootle, on the question who should rise first,
and gfinallyuboth rose together andwent out on the broad
grin, followed by Miss Abbey; in whose presence the
company did not take the liberty of grinning likewise.
-In such an establishment, the white-aproned pot-boy
with his shirt-sleeves arranged in a tight?roll on each
bare shoulder, was a ‘mererhint of the’ possibility of
physical force, thrown outas a matter of state and form.
Exactly at the closing hour, ,all the guests who were
left; filed out in the best order : Miss Abbey standing at
the half ,door of'the bar, to hold a ceremony of review
and dismissal. All wished Miss Abbey good-night, and
Miss Abbey wished good-night to all. except ltiderhood.
The sapient pot-boy, looking on ollieially,-then had'the
conviction borne in upon his soul, that the man was
everrnore outcast and excommunicate from the Six J olly
Fellowship-Porters. 1 ,
v “ You Bob Glibbery,” said Miss Abbey to this pot-boy,
.“ run round to Hexanfs, and tell his daughter Lizzie that
I want to speak to her.” '- 3 ' - -
. VVith exemplary swiftness Bob Glibbery departed, and
returned. Lizzy, following him. arrived as one of the
two female domestics of -‘the Fellowship-Porters ‘ar-
ranged on the snug little table by the bar fire Miss Pot-
terson’s‘su per of. hot sausages and mashed potatoes. -
'. "‘. Come In and sit yedown, girl,” said Miss eAbbey.
“Can youeatabit‘I”' ' ' -. ." v’ ""
“ No thank you, miss. I have had my supper. .
“ I have had mine too, I think,” said Miss Abbey,
pushingaway the untasted dish, “ and more than enough
of it. am put out, Lizzie.” . -r ,’ '
”..
-‘-‘I am very sorryfor it, Miss.’.’ l.->".([,.l: I -,:,1"
. “.Thenwhy,1in.the‘.na.me of v Goodness,’-‘. quoth.-Miss
‘Abbey, sharply,--“do you do it?” -. ‘: hzzstv Ina : ' -.
-u‘.‘1.dt)lt, Missl’.'.w-= 1 i‘! - . ; -.-In . a ..z .11’; 3 ;.s.
.. ‘F There, tl1ere.1 ,Don’t look astonished. 7‘ I' ougl1t.tc
have begunuwith a word of explanation,‘ but it’s mygway
to make short cuts at things. I was always a pepperer.
andfget yodown’ to your supper.” V u..z1r.'i :11.-1‘ 2: 2: ,:.:
VVith an alacrity that seemed no less .referable tolthe
peppererrfact than to the supper ,fact, Bob obeyedfand
Ins. boots were heard descending towards the bed ‘of. the
IIVCI‘. . bl‘ Jr .-3'.’ l. 35,’ ‘u A : :u v, ,':.' ..' ,
- “Lizzie IIexa1n‘,=Lizzio Hexam,”-then began Miss Pot-
terson, 7‘f how often have I held out to you .the opportu-
nityof getting clear of -‘your father, and doing: well ‘F’.-r
V .“.Very often,‘ Miss.".’. w ‘ M’ .”.>-.IIn '.:: ,-.
-,f‘.Very"often‘2> -Yes 1' .And xlnrnight as Zwellubavo
spokenv touthe iron, funnel of : the strongest sea-going
steamer that passes the Fellowship,-I?orters.’.’.::n 1) .2: - as
“No, Miss,” Lizzie pleaded ; “ because that wouldnot
be'thankful,jand I am.’.’.v’, m.I -. .r,.-. .5 m n H’ .1 "
“ I vow and declare I.am‘half ashamed of rnyselffor
taking such"an interest’ in you;’.? saidvMiss Abbey, pet-
tishly,i‘.‘forI don’tvbe1ieve I‘ should do it if you were
not good looking. .-‘Why ain’.t you ugly?!’ I. .: 1: :n -xvi
Lizzie merely answered this difiicult question. with an
apologeticglanee. ‘A .A;I'l 3.’ 2: .1; .’v -,,r
A “ However; you ain’t,”> resumed. Miss Potterson, “ so
x . 1
..l .v, w
you. r VVhich indeed is what'I’ve'done. nAnd you mean
to say you are still obstinate,” 5. .. x . ‘( V I. 4. uni.
“ Not obstinate, Miss, I hope.” '
“ Firm (I suppose you call it) then ‘I ”
."Yes,‘Miss. Fixed like.”-V ‘uf ‘- v u r:
“ Never was an obstinate person yet, -who would own
to the wordl”-remarked.Miss Potterson,.rubbing her
vexed nose : ',‘I’m sure I would, if I was obstinate ;' but
I am a pepperer,’ which is different.‘ ‘Lizzie vllexam,
Lizzie Ilexam, think again. 3Do ‘you fknow tho'worst of
yourfather.?’,’v v 1: it 4‘
‘.‘ Do I know the worst of. father 1”’ slierrepeated,-opcm
ing her eyes. .? . . ‘-I
"‘ Do ‘you know‘ the-suspicions to .which:your'ifather
makeshimself liable? Do you know: the suspicions that
are actually about, against him?" : . aw" L ml? :-
The consciousness of what he habitually did, oppressed
the girlheavily, andshe slowly castgdown her eyes.‘
“ Say, Lizzie. Do you know?” urged Miss Abbey. 3 v’
v “Please to tell me ‘what thosuspicions are, Miss’-"
she asked after a silence,‘ with her eyes upon the ground.
“ It's not an easy thing to tell a daugl1ter,vbut it must
be told.-r-‘It is thought by same’, then, that yonrlfather
helps to their death a few,of-those that he finds dead.’’:
‘The relief of-hearing what she’ felt sure was a false
suspicion,:in place ofithe expected realfand true one, so
lightened Lizzie’s'-breast for u the moment, zthat : Miss
Abbey was amazed at her demeanour. =She raisedrher
eyes quickly, shook her head,'and,‘in a kind of triumph,
almost ]aughed.,r V, g. 11:.-,3 '7 .- I r' I: 2.. .. n .w.‘ .:-
“‘. They little know father who tall: like that I ’.’ ' -<4‘ 4'
v- (“. She takes it,” thought Miss‘ Abbey. .“ very quietly.
She takes it with extraordinary quietness I ”) I ‘L
“And perh'aps,”,.said Lizzie, as a recollection flashed
upon her, “it is some one who has a grudgeiagainst
father :‘-some one -who has,’ threatened father. A Is it
Riderhood, Miss R” 1'4 ‘-
.“ VVell ::ycs,'it is.” ’ ' 3 '
“ Yes I" He was father-’s partner, and ‘father ' broke
with him, and now he rovenges himself. Lather broke
with him when I was by, and he was very angry'at'it;
And besides, Miss Abbey I-lV,i1l 'y011 DCVOT, ‘$191011!
strong reasonglet pass your ‘lips whatwlz am go1ng:to
say?”-, M V I V ‘ . . ‘ 1- :1" .. 2,
- She bent forward to say it in a whisper.
.“ I promise,’.’ said Miss Abbey.‘ ' - i -’ -I 1
5 .“It was on the night when "the Harmon‘ murder. was
H ‘in! vi,
l.i.w1z.
- found out, through father, just above bridge. .And just
below bridge, as we were sculling home, Riderhood
crept out of the dark in his boat. many and .many
times afterwards, when such’great I)ZLlnS“VeI'0 taken‘to
- come to the bottom of the crime, and it never could be
You Bob Glibbery there, put therchain -upon the.door ‘
it’s no use going into that. s:‘I’ must: take you‘ as:I;find A
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