It was not eight
o'clock yet, but the devil had been up betimes and got through a good
deal of his day's work, as we have seen. The poor little woman had made
up her mind to apply to Dangerfield. She had liked his talk at Belmont,
where she had met him; and he enquired about the poor, and listened to
some of her woful tales with a great deal of sympathy; and she knew he
was very rich, and that he appreciated her Barney, and so she trudged
on, full of hope, though I don't think many people who knew the world
better would have given a great deal for her chance.
Dangerfield received the lady very affably, in his little parlour, where
having already despatched his early meal, he was writing letters. He
looked hard at her when she came in, and again when she sat down; and
when she had made an end of her long and dismal tale, he opened a sort
of strong box, and took out a thin quarto and read, turning the leaves
rapidly over.
'Ay, here we have him--Chapelizod--Sturk, Barnabas--Surgeon, R.I.A.,
assignee of John Lowe--hey! one gale day, as you call it,
only!--September. How came that? Rent, L40. Why, then, he owes a whole
year's rent, L40, Ma'am.
Pages:
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408