United States or Curaçao ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"My mother's jewel-case!" she exclaimed, with a look of intense surprise. "My my wife's jewels!" stammered Mr Hazlit, in equal surprise; "whereon earth why how where young man, did you find them?" "I found them at the bottom of the sea," replied Edgar.
"Rooney!" said Mr Hazlit, calling him back. "Mayn't I show him out, sur?" said Rooney, earnestly. "By no means." "Ah, sur, mayn't I give him a farewell kick?" "Certainly not." Mr Hazlit then expressed a desire to see Mrs Timms, and the green-grocer, thanking the merchant fervently for his timely aid, lighted a candle and led the way into the dark closet.
He took in hand to train me some months gone by, an' as our two missusses has took a fancy to aich other, we're likely to hold on for some time barrin' accidents, av coorse." "Well, then," said Mr Hazlit, "I came to see Mr Baldwin about a vessel of mine, which was wrecked a few days ago on the coast of Wales " "Och! The Seagull it is," exclaimed Rooney.
"Now," said Mr Hazlit, sitting down on a broken chair in a very shabby little room, and wiping his heated brow, "what is the meaning of all this, Mr Timms?" "Well, sir," answered Timms, with a deprecatory air, "I'm sorry, sir, it should 'ave 'appened just w'en you was a-goin' to favour me with the unexpected honour of a wisit; but the truth is, sir, I couldn't 'elp it.
"Well, then, I offer now," said Mr Hazlit, taking out his purse, and pouring a little stream of sovereigns into his hand. "Have you the receipt made out?" The landlord made no reply, but, with a look of wonder at his interrogator, drew a small piece of dirty paper from his pocket and held it out. Mr Hazlit examined it carefully from beginning to end. "Is this right, Mr Timms?" he asked.
Mr Hazlit propounded this question with such an abrupt gaze as well as tone of interrogation, that the little pursed mouth relaxed into a little smile as it said, "I suppose you must divide the sum proportionally among your creditors, or something of that sort." "Just so," said Mr Hazlit, nodding approval.
The energy with which Mr Hazlit poured out his words, and, as it seemed to Timms, the free and easy magnificence of his ideas were overpowering. "W'y, sir, I ain't got no money to do sitch a thing with," he said at last, with a broad grin.
"Come here, Timms," said Mr Hazlit, abruptly, as he turned round and walked out of the closet, "I want to speak to you. I am no doctor, but depend upon it your wife will not die. There is a very small building quite a hut I may say near my house ahem! Near my cottage close to the sea, which is at present to let. I advise you strongly to take that hut and start a green-grocery there.
"That's right," continued the fiend, "for if you keep quiet, you know, the contents will fall to be divided among you, and the loss won't be felt by a rich fellow like old Hazlit." Maxwell's heart approved and applauded the sentiment, but a stronger power moved in the rough man's heart, and softly whispered, "Shame!"
"Dear child!" exclaimed Mr Hazlit, in a fit of abstraction, kissing the note; "this accounts for her never mentioning him;" then, recovering himself, and turning abruptly and sternly to Edgar, he said: "How did you dare, sir, to write to her after my express prohibition?"
Word Of The Day