United States or Tunisia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


As he spoke a stout gentleman opened the garden gate and walked up the path leading to the bower. At the same moment Miss Pritty issued from the house and echoed the green-grocer's boy's announcement. They were all silent as the stout gentleman approached. "What! can it be?" cried Edgar, starting up in excitement. "The captain!" exclaimed Mr Hazlit. "Impossible!" murmured Aileen.

"For w'ich you'll smart yet," growled the landlord, who stood in a dishevelled heap like a bad boy in a corner. "How much rent does he owe you?" asked Mr Hazlit of the landlord. "That's no business o' yours," replied the man, sulkily. "If I were to offer to pay it, perhaps you'd allow that it was my business." "So I will w'en you offers."

With her large earnest eyes she looked at him, and the unuttered language of her pursed, grave, little mouth was "Well, go on." "The liquidation of my debts," repeated Mr Hazlit, firmly.

At that moment the stamping became so great, and was accompanied by so much shouting, that both ladies became attentive. A few moments later their door opened violently, and Mr Hazlit appeared with a very pale face. He was obviously in a state of great perturbation. "My dears," he said, hurriedly, "excuse my intruding we are attacked pirates get up; put on your things!"

"Very likely," said the owner, with a smile, "but it does not take long to make a young lady ill especially when her heart is touched. Some sort of rumour floats in my mind to the effect that Miss Hazlit is going out to China to be married, or requires to go out because she doesn't want to be married I forget which. But it comes pretty much to the same thing in the end!"

The effect of course was to sink the machine deeper than ever, insomuch that poor Mr Hazlit, unable any longer to withstand the buffeting, threw up his arms with a cry of despair. Edgar caught him as he was falling over. "Here, put your arms round my neck," he cried, struggling violently to fix himself firmly to the life-buoy.

My child's interests must be considered even before gratitude. I must be firm." Thought is wondrously rapid. Mr Hazlit thought all that and a great deal more during the brief passage from the companion-hatch to the stern-rail. "I wish to ask you to do me a favour, Mr Hazlit," the young man began. The merchant looked at him with a troubled expression.

Mr Hazlit and his daughter and Miss Pritty were allowed to sit idle in the stem of one of the boats, and for a time they felt their drooping spirits revive a little under the influence of the sweet sunshine while they rowed along shore, but as time passed these feelings were rudely put to flight.

"'Cause I wanted to see you, an' I found the door open, an' there warn't nobody down stair to announce me," answered the man in a rather surly tone. "Oh, indeed? ah," said Mr Hazlit, drawing out a large silk handkerchief with a flourish, blowing his nose therewith, and casting it carelessly on the table so as to cover the jewel-box. "Well, as you are now ere, pray what have you got to say to me?"

As the amateur surgeon here desired Joe to assist him in moving his patient a little, Mr Hazlit turned away, in a stooping attitude because of weakness, and, with his vest flapping against the place where his chief development had once been, shuffled slowly towards the quarter-deck.