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He hesitated to complete his sentence, and Wardlaw did it for him. "And ascribe your suspension to my inability to refund this advance?" said he, bitterly. "I am afraid that is the construction it will bear." Wardlaw rose, to intimate he had no more to say. Burtenshaw, however, was not disposed to go without some clear understanding. "May I say we shall hear from you, sir?" "Yes."
Burtenshaw shook his head. "Names are at a discount to-day, sir. We can't pay you down on the counter. Why, our depositors look cross at Bank of England notes."
Three or four times she turned and looked at Bill and listened to 'im breathing, and then, trembling all over with fear and excitement, she began 'er little game. "He did send it," she ses, with a piercing scream. "He did send it." "W-w-wot's the matter?" ses Bill, beginning to wake up. Mrs. Burtenshaw didn't take any notice of 'im. "He did send it," she ses, screaming agin.
To an inquiry, half ironical, whether the managers really expected him to find 81,000 pounds cash, at a few hours' notice, Burtenshaw replied, sorrowfully, that they felt for his difficulty while deploring their own; but that, after all, it was a debt. And, in short, if he could find no means of paying it, they must suspend payment for a time, and issue a statement and
He moved in 'is sleep, and arter Silas 'ad done it twice more he turned and spoke to 'is missis about it. "D'ye hear?" he ses; "stop it. Stop it at once." Mrs. Burtenshaw pretended to be asleep, and Bill was just going to turn over agin when Silas let off another groan.
Silas licked his lips forgetting the paint and tried the deep ones agin. "Now mix 'em a bit," ses Mrs. Burtenshaw. Silas stared at her. "Look 'ere," he ses, very short, "do you think I'm a fog-horn, or wot?" He stood there sulky for a moment, and then 'e invented a noise that nothing living could miss hearing; even Bill couldn't.
Silas did two more groans, and then 'e leaned over the foot o' the bed, and stared at Bill, as though 'e couldn't believe his eyesight. "Try a squeaky one," ses Mrs. Burtenshaw. Silas tried five squeaky ones, and then he 'ad a fit o' coughing that would ha' woke the dead, as they say, but it didn't wake Bill. "Now some more deep ones," ses Mrs. Burtenshaw, in a w'isper.
"It's very kind of you to take all this trouble for nothing," ses Mrs. Burtenshaw as Silas got up to go. "Don't mention it," ses Silas. "It ain't the fust time, and I don't suppose it'll be the last, that I've put myself out to help my feller- creeturs. We all ought to do wot we can for each other." "Mind, if he finds it out," ses Mrs. Burtenshaw, all of a tremble, "I don't know nothing about it.
As for Arthur Wardlaw, he saw his father safe out, then gave a sigh of relief, and walked to his office table and sat down and began to fill in the check. Burtenshaw drew near and said, "I am instructed to say that fifty thousand pounds on account will be accepted."
Bill was a very good husband when he was sober, but 'is money was two pounds a week, and when a man has all that and on'y a wife to keep out of it, it's natural for 'im to drink. Mrs. Burtenshaw tried all sorts o' ways and means of curing 'im, but it was no use.
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