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less his creditors take him by the shoulders and shove
him out.” -, . , p r - , ,
He had been there five or six months, when he came
running to this turnkey one forenoon to tell him, breath-
less and pale. that his wife was ill. ‘ l ‘ , ,
“ As anybody might a known she would be,” said the
turnkey. 4, V,’ v ‘--
, “ “’e intended,’,’ liereturnerl, “that she should go to
acountry lodging only to-morrow. ,XVliat am .1 to do!
Oh, good heaven, what anil to do I ’v’; r - ‘ . . ;'
“Don’t wasteyoiir time in clasping your hands and
biting your fingers,” responded the practical turnkey, .
taking him by the elboW,.,‘5 but come’ along with me.” j
The turnkey conducted him-trembling from head to
foot, and constantly crying under his breath, “that was
he to do! while, his irresolutejfingers,bedabbled the
tears upon his faceeup one of the common. staircases in
the prison, to a door on the garret story.’ Upon which
door the turnkey knocked with the. handle ofvhis key.-
“ Come in I” cried a voice inside. ' ‘ ‘ V ,
. The turnkey opening thedoor, disclosed in a wretched,
ill-smelling little room, twolioarse, puffy, red-faced per-
sonages seated at a ricketty, table, playing atjall-fours,
smoking pipes, and drinking brandy. . - ,v f. . ; 1
“ Doctor," said the turnkey, “here's a gentleman's
wife in want of you without a miiiute’s lossof time I” '.
The doctor’s friend was in‘ the positive degree of
lioarseness, pufliness, red-facedncss,; all-fours, tobacco,
‘dirt, and brandy ; the doctor in the coinparative--boars
er, puiiier, more red-faced, more :aIl-t'o'ury,’tobaceoer,
dirtier, and brzindier.‘ The doctor was anianingly shabby,
in a torn and darned rough-weather sea-Jacket, out at
elbows and eminently short of buttons (he had beenlin
hlis tinip the esperienced surgeon carried by a passenger
s iip), tic dirtiest white trowsers conceivable by mortal
man, carpet slippers,’ and no visible linen. -“ Childbed‘2.”
said the doctor. f I in the. boy I” “.Vll’.ll' that the doc-
itor took ‘a 1601111) from the chimney-piece, and stuck his
115111‘-1l1]‘El‘lg it-uhich appeared to behisway of, washing
iinise -produced a professional chestor case, of most
abject appearance, from the cupboard where his cup and
saucer and C0313. were, settled his chin in the frowsy
wrapper round his neck, and became a ghastlymedical
scarecrow. 1 , Q M y y I I 1 ' v ,
The doctor and the debtor ran down-stairs, leaving the
turnkey to return to the lock,-and made for the debtor’s
rooin. A311 the liidlcli intlig prison had got hold of the
pzsiis, an“ “ c-re inft 1e yar . hS.oinc of them had already
‘on possession 0 t ie two e il( ren, and -were hospita.
lEV(13’n(t“g$‘)'lfr;g tl1:lI1T1.0fE ; otliorstwere offering loans of igmc
ammns “olip “Cl! own scan sgore; others were sym-
p ’ i ie greatest vo u llityp The gentlemen
tll(i‘.mS0g.VE'0S<8.t a diiadvantage, had for
from tliepo )Cl’).c“:;e(1’ n'O P ya1)l"Si1lea(ed, to them moms ;
I, ‘ :1 H1 "30“'3 0. fV If‘, some of them now
Iconiu Iiriin 0:] re oetlor wit 1 W iistles as he passed be.
‘ow, -v 110 0 icrs, “in several stories between them,
interchanged sarcastic references to the prevalent excite-
It was a hot summer day, and tliefprisoii rooms were
V i ' , cs 7 niessenge;-l
who xtigis not ‘]:)‘l:SI0]l‘l;3(;iS1i1’i[1lOl‘l)‘,%‘h she had been on.ce),.1)m,
“as O 11:10 phail volunteered lcolrclmufllcatlon Wuh the
ouder Wm l alttc-ndant Th let klalwlces as ’v.catcher
ml] kgemdm 'tl tiies Mrs lfinwla S and celimg were
lime‘ encvfiiloiiei.arIaEanAea‘ii%1ani" “KW.” ‘" Sudden
CVICB. :1“ ,u H 6 other get tm ls Dffi lent with ncubbage
gent la? iw- I t ti e sumeytinio gnio "ipegm upd sugar
“1 ga hpo S "a dud‘ con ratulatdnsm mg Sentiments of
:.?.:2::;:;‘:.g‘"’-' , E - U to
“The flies troiible you don’i‘. they, my dear?’,’ said
Mr: 11.12139 mind eff
of mdmil robe-r’s gthe wMl;-ron-stablescendthe burym
groan ’ 10 ‘git halysc-a flies? cts ' ’ an the Pmnch
tmdg’ ‘he ‘ arS'consol'ition' i%xredeP:l1aTg?' . Fmps
they re sent a d “-7 N6, be“ 3?) glow d it. How
are’ you now, niyd e.mu’n ht.’ Womerb ‘ho my’ am,’ it
aint to be expec (:1 5.‘ ' u’ 1, 1 GTE: ore you re better
and you know lty 0". 30 - 02- . int s right]
to think of a sweet little cherub being born inside
And who was an oi
the and had the 11
CHARLES ‘DICKENS’ WORKS.
lock I , Now ain’t it pretty, ain’t that something to carry
you through it pleasant? “'hy, we'ain’t hiid such a
thing happen here, my dear, not for I couldn’t‘naine the
time when. And you a crying too?” said Mrs. Bang-
ham, to rally the patient more and more. “You I w‘Mak-
ing yourself sofaniousl With the tlies n',falliiig into
the gallipots by fifties! And everything a goin on so
well! . And here if there ain’t," saidgMi's. Bang mm as
the door opened, “if there ain’t your dcarvgeiitleman
along with Doctor Haggagel And now indeed weiure
complete, I'tln'72L'.’,”- ’.-.iv-‘- "1. i ’ v- ‘-I"
The doctor was scarcely the kind of apparition to in-
spire a patient with a sense of .-absolute‘completeness,
but as he presently delivered the opinion, “ ‘V0 are as
right as we can be,-,Mrs.i5Baiigham’,> and we" shall‘ come
out of thislikea house '1'. fire ;”v’and' as -he and Mrs.
Baiigliam tookpossession-'of1tlic poor, lielpless pair, as
everybody else and anybody else had ‘always done ;-the
means at hand were as good on, the whole: :1s'better
would have been. The special .feature in Dr'.KHiiggage’s
treatnient:of the case, wasliis determination to kcPP
Mrs.’Banghaiul up to the mark. T As thus : ' ‘
“ Mrs. Bangh:ini,’,’ said the doctor, before ho had been
there twenty minutes, "go outside and fetch a little
brandy, or we shall haveyou giving in.” I
“ Thank you sir. But none on my accounts,” said
Mrs. Banghain. . . ., . .
“Mrs. Ba1igliam,”'reti1rned the’ doctor, “I am in pro-
fessional attendance on this lady, and doii’t choose to
allow any discussion on you1' part. Go outside and fetch
a little brandy, or I forsee that you’ll'break down.’’' ‘%
"‘ You're to be obeyed sir,?’ said Mrs. Banghiim, rising-
‘fIf you was to; put your ‘own ‘lips ‘toiit, I think. you
would’nt be the Worse,’ for you to look but poorly, sir. i
- “ Mrs. Bangham,”. returned the'doctor, “ Iain not your
business, thank you, but you are mine. -N Never you mind
me, if you please. XVhnt you have got to do, is, to dons
you are told, and go‘ and get'what'I bid you.” ‘ -. - ‘ ‘
Mrs. Bangham. submitted; and the doctor, having ad-
ministered her potion,-took his own. He repeated the
treatment, every, hour, being very determined with MYS-
Bangliamh T1lI‘C0"0l' four ‘hours passed ; . the fllCS'$eIl
into the traps by hundreds ; and at length one little llftf.
hardly stronger than theirs, appeared‘ among the multi-
tude of lesser deaths. ' -i i v‘ . ‘ ’ ,
i “A very nice little girl indeed,” said the doctor ; '" lft‘
tle but well-formed. Halloa, Mrs. Bangliam! 4 Y0“ T9
looking queer! You be off, ma'mn,' this minute, and
fetch a little more brandy, or we shall have you in hys-
erics.” Q . - 7 " ‘
By this time, the rings had begun tofiill from the
debtor's irresolute hands, like leaves from a iviiitrY‘”Ce'
Not onewas left upon them that night,-when 110 Put
something that cliinked into the doctor’s greasy Palm‘
In the meantime Mrs. -Bangham had been out an errand
to a neighbouring establishmentidecoratedv with three
golden balls, where she was well known. .-1 - - - 1,"
“ Thank you,” said the dcctor,,-“thank you. 19”’
good lady is quite composed. 5 Doing cliariningly.".- '
“I am very happy and verythaiikful to know it,” said
the debtor, “ thouglrl little thought once, tliat--’'r‘‘.’
. “That a child would be -born to you in a place like
this?” said the doctor. -“Bah, bah, sir, what‘ does it
Sliznify? A little more elbow-room is all we want here-
Wc are quiet here; we don't get ‘get badgered here:
there’s no kiiocker here, sir, to he hammered at by ere 1-
fors and bring a man’s heart into his mouth; N01>0d.V
comes hereto ask if a man’s at home. and to say he,“
stand on the door mat till he is. Nobody writes threatc.11-
Ems’ letters about money, in this place. It’s freedom; 51“
1t’s freedom I I have had to-day’s practice at l10I1l0'3nd
allliroad. on a march, and aboard ship, and I’ll tel1'."0"'
t is:
such quiet circumstances, as here this day. vElsew113r.c
I1C0pl.e are restless, worried, hurried about. anxious ‘I0-
5Pec““z‘;‘ One thing, anxious respecting another; Nothing
Of the kind here, sir. VVe have done all tliat'-we k110“'
“"3 “'0T3‘7 0f it : we have rrot to the bottom ‘we can’t fall,
fmd ‘vhat ham we found?! Peace. Tliat’s’the word-fol‘
it, Peace." - “With this profession of faith, the’ doctor,
dlflil-bird and was more sodden than iisua .
dditional and unusual-stirnulus of money 1”
I don't know that I haveiever pursued it under-