Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
legally executorof Johnny's will I. If I,had.bu't the right
. to pay your legacy and to take your receipt l-Something
to.this purpose surely mingled with the blast of ,the
train as it cleared the stations, all knowingly shutting up
their greeneyes’ and opening their red ones when they
prepared to Ilet the boofer lady pass. - . --
."....ws-'3 tr > A ..‘ H -.
‘ A'lll'lA:‘l‘ ‘l’, ‘E;
CHAPTER X.‘
iscauts 7'0ut.- ‘ ‘ I ‘
.':.‘.‘-AND so;Miss' VVren,” said Mr. Eugene rWrayburn, “ I
. cannot persuade you'to dress me a doll ? ’.’ r
' ‘,‘.-No,’’. replied Miss VVren snappishly ; “if you want
‘one,’ go and buy one at the shop.’,’
1'“ And Tiny charming young-goddaugliter,” said Mr.
lVrayburn plaintively, “ down in Hertfordshire-’’- -
(“Humbugshire you mean, I think,” interposed Miss
lVren.) ‘ - ‘ .
"“-‘-is it to be put upon the coldgfooting of the general
public, and-?is to derive no advantage from my private
acquaintance -withithe Court Dressmaker? ” ' i ,
- If -it's any advantage to your charming godchild-and
oh,’ azprecious godfatherrshev has got l”--replied ‘Miss
VVren,,pi-icking at him in the air with her needle, “ to
be 3il]f0I'II1Bd that the Court Dressinaker knows your
tricks and your manners, you may tell her so by post,
' with my compliments.”
Miss VVren was busy at her work by candle-light, and
Mr. Wrayburn, half amused and half vexed, and all idle
and shiftless, stood by her bench looking on. Miss
WVren‘s troublesome child was in the corner in deep dis-
gracegand exhibiting great wretchedness in the shivering
stage of prostration from drink. ,
-‘fl-Ugh, you disgraceful boy i” exclaimed Miss Wren,
attracted by the sound of his chattering teeth, “ I wish
they’d all drop down your throat and play at dice in your
stomach I. Boli, wicked child I Bee-baa, black sheep l”
On her accompanying each of these reproacheswith a
threatening stamp of the foot, the wretched creature pro-
tested with a whine. H r r v .
“ Pay five shillings for you indeed I”. Miss VVren pro-
ceeded; .‘.‘ how many hours do you suppose -it costs me
to earufive shillings, you infamous boy ‘I-Don't cry like
that, or I’ll throw a doll at you. Pay five shillings fine
for you indeed. Fine in more ways than one, I think 1
I’d give the dustman five shillings, to carry you oil in the
dust cart.” v I e
, .‘.‘ No, no,” pleaded the absurd creature. , “ Please I”
r “. He's enough to break his mother's heart, is this boy,”
said Miss lVren, half appealing to Eugene. “ I.wisli.l
had never brought him up. He’d be sharper than a ser-
ent’s tooth, if he wasn’t as dull as ditch water. Look at
im. .There’s a pretty object for a parent's eyes I” ,
Assurcdly,‘in his worse than swinish state (for swine
atlcast fatten on their. guzzling, and .mako themselves
good to eat), lie was a pretty object for any eyes. '
' " A ' muddling and a swipeyr old -child,” ‘said Miss
lVren, rating him with great severity, “ fit for nothing,
but to be preserved in the liquor that destroys him, and
put in a great glass bottle as a sight for other swipey
children of his own pattern,-if, he has no consideration
- for his liver, has he none for his mother?”
"‘- Yes. Deration, oh don't I" cried the subject of these
angry remarks.
"‘ Oh don’t and oh don't,” pursued Miss Wren. ‘ ‘i It's
oh do and oh do. And why do you?” ‘ i . .
A “ Won't do so anymore. i lVon’t indeed. Pray L”.
V “ There,” said Miss lVren, covering her eyes with her
handw .“ I can't bearto look at’ you- Go upstairs and
get me my bonnet and shawl. Make yourself useful in
some way, bad boy.'and let‘ me have your.room instead
Of your company, for one half minute." i > . 1
, Obeying her, he shamblcd out, and Eugene lVrayburn
saw the tears exude from between the little creature's
fingers. as - she kept her hand before her eyes.‘ He was
Sorry, but his sympathy did not move his carelessnpess to
do anything but feel sorry. u I’ -I ' ' - ’. v’
J“ I’m going to the Italian Opera to try on,” said Miss
Wren, taking: away her hand after a-little while, and
".'.'7'“‘--...&
‘ ' . OUR-HJIIUTUALK,‘FRIEND..i‘x’-
‘fire by which he was havin
507.
laughing satiricallyto hide that she. had been crying;
“ I must see your back before I go, Mr. VVrayburn. Let‘
me first tell you, once for all, that it’s no use your pay-
ing visits to me. You wouldn't get what you want of
me, no, not if you brought pincers with you to tear it out. ”
“ Are you so obstinate on the subject of a doll’s dress‘
for my godchild ‘l” - ' v V -
“ Ah I” returned Miss VVren with a hitch of her chin,
“I am so obstinate. And of course it's on the subject
of a doll’s dress-or address-whichever you like. Get
along and give it up.” ' - ’ ’ -
Her degraded charge had come back, and was standing
behind her with the bonnet and shawl. ;
' “Give .’em to me and get back into your corner, you
naughty old thing 1" said Miss VVren, as she turned and
espied him. "‘ No, no, I won’t have your help. Go into
your corner this minute !" ‘ '
Theimiserable man, feebly rubbing the back of his
faltering hands downwards from the wrists, shullled on
to his post of disgrace ; but not without a curious glance
at Eugene in passing him, accompanied with what seemed
as if it might have been an action of his elbow, if any
action of any limb or- joint he had, would have answered.
truly to his will. Taking no more particular notice of
him than instinctively falling away from the disagreeable
contact, Eugene, with a lazy compliment or so to Miss
“'ren, begged leaveto light his cigar and departed. '
“. Now you prodigal old son,” said Jenny, shaking her
head and herempliatic little forefinger at her burden,
“ you sit there till I come back. You dare to move out of
your corner for a single instant while I'm ‘gone, and I'll
know the reason why.” W - ,
V VVith this admonition, she blew her work candles out,
leaving him 'to the light of the fire, and, taking her big
door-key in her pocket and her crutch-stick in her hand,
marched oil. . ‘ r g . , -, ‘
Eugene lounged slowly toward the Temple, smoking
his cigar, ‘but saw no more of the doll’s dressinaker,
through the accidentof their taking opposite sides ofthe
street. He lounged along moodily, and stopped at Char-
ing Cross to look about him, with as little intcrestin the A
crowd as any man might take, and was lounging on again,
when a. most unexpected object caught , his eyes. No
less an object tlian,,Jennv Wren’s bad boy trying to
makeup his mind to cross the road. ' j l.
A more ridiculous and feeble spectacle than this tot-
tering wretch making unsteady sallies into the roailway,
and as often staggering back again, oppressed by terrors
of vehicles that wereka long way off or were nowhere, the
streets could not have shown. Over and over again,
when the course was perfectly clear, he set out, get half
way, described a loop, turned, and went back again, when
he mi lit have crossed and recrosscd half a dozen times.
Then, e would stand shivering on the edge of the pave-
ment, looking up the street and lookin dmvn, while
scores of people jostled him, and crosse and went on.
Stimulated in course of time by the sightof so many suc-
cesses, heiwould make another sally, make another loop,
would all but have his foot on the opposite pavement, ‘
-would see or imagine something coming, and would stag-
ger back again. ‘There, he would stand making spas-
modic preparations as if for a great leap, and at,last
would decide on a start at precisely the wrong moment,
and would be roared at by drivers, and would shrink
back once more, and staudin the old .spot, shivering,
with the whole of the proceedings to go through again.
“. It strikes me,” remarked Eugene coolly. after watch-
ing him for some minutes, “ that my friend is likely ta
be rather behind time if he has any appointment on hand.
“With which remark he strolled on, and took no further
thought of him. a i -. - . - .. -
Liglitfoot was at home when he got to tho Chambers,
and had dined alone there. Eugene drew a chair to the
his wine and reading the
evening paper, and broug t :1 glass. and fined it: for
good fellowsliip’s sake. . , I . .
“My'dear Mortimer, you aretlie express picturoof
contented. industry, repofing (03 C7941‘) 3”" 919 Y11"
tuouslaboursoftheday.’e, ..w 3
' ‘.5 My dear Eugene, your are the express picture of dis-
contented idleness not rc-posing at all.- Where have you
been?" . - i - A ..
-.+.<...-.r.a-.--,‘-u-- ...r
-:'7.:E‘-T-.1 'x.....n." ' ‘.:.':.;g‘.r;’;v‘L‘I‘