Our Mutual Friend

into a state of hale infirmity. In its whole constitution it had not a straight floor, and hardly a straight line

a crazy wooden verandah impending over the water; indeed the whole house, inclusive of the complaining flag-staff on the roof, impended over th

set upright on its broadest end. This handle stood at the bottom of a wilderness of court and alley: which wilderness pressed so hard and close upon the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters as to leave the hostelry not an inch of ground beyond its door. For th

knots started out of it; and here and there it seemed to twist itself into some likeness of boughs. In this state of second childhood, it had an air of being in its own way garrulous about its early life. Not without reason was it often asserted by the regular f

cuits in baskets, and by the polite beer-pulls that made low bows when customers were served with beer, and by the cheese in a snug corner, and by the landlady’s own small table in a snugger corner near the fire, with the cloth everlastingly laid. This haven was divided from the rough world by a glass partition and a half-door, with a leaden sil

for you those delectable drinks, Purl, Flip, and Dog’s Nose. The first of these humming compounds was a speciality of the Porters, which, through an inscription on its door-posts, gently appealed to your feelings as, ‘The Early Purl House’. For, it would seem that Purl must always be taken early; though whether for any more distinctly stomachic reason than that, as the early bird catches the worm, so the early purl

. Being known on her own authority as Miss Abbey Potterson, some water-side heads, which (like the water) were none of the clearest, harboured muddled notions that, because of her dignity and firmness, she was

t want you at all, and would rather by far have your room than your company; but if you were as welcome here as you are not,

suggested very meekly though, ‘if I behav

Abbey, with infi

son; because, yo

Miss Abbey, ‘and I’ll soon convince

did doubt it at

the bette

was a tall, upright, well-favoured woman, though severe of countenance, and had more of the air of a schoolmistress than mistress of the Six Jolly Fellowshi

hard upon me,

er with contracted brows, and t

’am! Might I have h

m knuckling his low forehead, and ducking at her with his head, as if he were asking le

anner as short as she herself was lon

me taking the liberty of asking, is it m

’ said Miss

t you’re a

’ interposed Miss Potter

don’t mean tha

at do yo

, might you have any apprehensions — leastways beliefs or suppositions — that the company’

ou want to

ome satisfaction to a man’s mind, to understand why the Fellowship Porte

e shadow of perplexity, as she replied: ‘

But he may have merited it. He may be

uspect

One, beyond al

s Abbey Potterson, knitting

know more of the ins and outs of him than any person living does. Notice th

with a deeper shade of perplexity t

never give him satisfaction? Because my luck was bad; because I couldn’t find many enough of ‘em. How was his luck? Always good. Notice this! Alw

finding what he finds, who d

e finds, perhaps,’ said Ride

pretty nigh every tide, and if you want to find a man or woman in the river, you’ll greatly he

e involuntary exclamat

of his boat’s mop were down his throat; ‘I say so, Miss Abbey! And mind you! I’ll follow him up, Miss Abbey! And mind you! I’ll bring hi

re drunk and much more ferocious than he had begun by being, Mr

ese, when a bottle-nosed person in a glazed hat had after some considerable hesitation ordered another glass of gin and water of the attendant potboy, and when Miss Abbey, instead of sending it, appeared in person, saying, ‘Captain Joey, you have had as much as will do you good,’ not only did the captain feebly rub his knees and contemplate the fire without offering a word of protest, but the rest of the company murmured, ‘Ay, ay, Captain! Miss Abbey’s right; you be guided by Miss Abbey, Captain.’ Nor, was Miss Abbey’s vigilance in anywise abated by this submission, but rather sharpened; for, looking round on the deferential faces of her

y at the closing hour, all the guests who were left, filed out in the best order: Miss Abbey standing at the half door of the bar, to hold a ceremony of review and dismissal. All wished Miss Abbey good-night and Miss Abbey w

pot-boy, ‘run round to Hexam’s and tell his

ived as one of the two female domestics of the Fellowship Porters arranged on the snug l

n, girl,’ said Miss Abb

Miss. I have

bey, pushing away the untasted dish, ‘and mo

sorry for

Goodness,’ quoth Miss Abbe

it,

ation, but it’s my way to make short cuts at things. I always was a pepperer. You

pperer fact than to the supper fact, Bob obeyed, and his

son, ‘how often have I held out to you the opportuni

often,

ken to the iron funnel of the strongest sea-go

d; ‘because that would no

interest in you,’ said Miss Abbey, pettishly, ‘for I don’t believe

his difficult question w

going into that. I must take you as I find you. Which indeed i

nate, Miss

pose you cal

ss. Fixe

ubbing her vexed nose; ‘I’m sure I would, if I was obstinate; but I am a pepperer, which i

o you know the suspicions to which your father makes himself liable

ally did, oppressed the girl heavil

o you know?’ ur

ns are, Miss,’ she asked after a sil

be told. It is thought by some, then, that your father

nd true one, so lightened Lizzie’s breast for the moment, that Miss Abbey was amazed at her dem

ow father who t

bey, ‘very quietly. She takes it

n her, ‘it is some one who has a grudge against father; s

yes i

Father broke with him when I was by, and he was very angry at it. And besides, Miss Abb

ard to say it

e,’ said

ds, when such great pains were taken to come to the bottom of the crime, and it never could be come near, I thought in my own thoughts, could Riderhood himself have done the murder, and did he purposely let father find t

n of the hostess of the Fellowship Porters, and

customed to bring her pupils to book, set the mat

t opening your mind to general suspicions of the other? They had worked together. Their goings-on had been going on for some time.

hen you talk like that. Indeed,

-night — we’ll pass no judgment upon that, and we’ll hope it may not be — but because of what I have urged on you before. No matter whether it’s owing to your good lo

and had even drawn her arm round the girl’s waist. But, she only replied, ‘Thank you, thank you! I can

y do soften, felt that there was considerable compensat

r way. You make your bed, and you must lie on it. But te

orbid him the house w

o. The Fellowships must not have a taint upon it that may give it a bad name. I forbid the house to Riderhood, and I forbid the house to Gaffer. I forbid both, equally. I find from Riderhood and you together, that the

!’ said Lizzie He

eturned Miss Abbey wit

bbey, I am truly gr

rned the stately Abbey, ‘so I’ll

s, shining flat red faces, blunt noses, and strong black curls, like dolls — interchanged the sentiment that Missis had had her hair combed the wrong way by somebody.

sound of casting-out, in the rattling of the iron-links, and the grating of the bolts and staples under Miss Abbey’s hand. As she came beneath the lowering sky, a sense of being involved in a murky shade o

to distort. Equally and swiftly upon either putting of the case, followed the frightful possibility that her father, being innocent, yet might come to be believed guilty. She had heard of people suffering Death for bloodshed of which they were afterwards proved pure, and those ill-fated persons were not, first, in that dangerous wrong in which her father stood. Then at the best, the beginning of his being

tly to do the thing that could be done — whether to keep out weather, to ward off col

n the bunk in the corner, her brother lay asleep. She

ng up. Father at Chiswick, wouldn’t think of coming down, till after the turn, and that’s at h

fore the scanty fire, and sat down

by the flare is not t

wake Charley), trimmed the fire sparingly, put water on to boil, and set the table for breakfast. Then she went up the ladder, lamp in hand, and came down again, and glided about and about, making a little bundle. Lastly, from her pocket, and from the chi

her brother, s

me jump,

es a moment ago, and saw you sitting there, like th

e night, Charley. It’s n

But what are

ng your fort

at’s it,’ said the boy. ‘What are you putti

ou, Ch

do you

and get washed and dressed

influence over him. His head was soon in a basin of water, and

e were his bitterest enemy, ‘saw such a

ready for brea

out. Hal-loa! I s

undle, C

mean it’s f

rley; I d

the boy completed his dressing, and came and sat down at the li

oing away from us. Over and above all the blessed change of by-and-bye, you’ll be muc

you know

she scarcely trusted herself to look at him, but kept her eyes employed on the cutting and buttering of his bread, and on the mixing o

k,’ grumbled the boy, throwing his bre

e him n

ngry whimpering, ‘you’re a selfish jade, and you think there’

hat I am a selfish jade, and that I think there’s not en

his arms round her neck, that she lost her self-

d to go, Liz; I am satisfied to go.

rley, Heaven abo

what I said. Don’t

im, to dry her eyes and regai

rcome father’s opposition — that father will never trouble them, but will never take you back. You are a credit to the school, and you will be a greater credit to it yet, and they will help you to get a livi

have it of that chap that took hold of me by t

p into her face and brow, as with a nod she laid a

ather has no learning himself he is set against it in you; but favour nothing else against him, and be sure you say — as you know — that your sister is devot

doubt and surprise, but she we

y dear, except, be good, and get learning, and only think of some things in the old

n a sister’s, and before which the boy was quite bowed down. After holding her to his breast wit

to black substances; and the sun, blood-red on the eastern marshes behind dark masts and yards, seemed filled with the ruins o

erious power of extracting a subsistence out of tidal water by looking at it, were gathered together about the causeway. As her

him. But, he promptly set to work to haul up his boat, and make her fast, and take the sculls

ok your breakfast. It’s all ready for cooking, a

sculls. See how dead they are!’ Something suggestive in their colour, and perhaps in her f

n the perishing nig

barge, by a blazing coal-

t in while I turn this bit of meat. If the river was to get fro

up from a squat black bottle, and dropping it slowly that it might seem more; ‘d

it’s hot and comfortable. After you have fin

ing thrown a hasty angry glance towards the bu

one with

He looked at her, stirred his tea and took two or three gulps, then

hat’s gone w

seems, father, that he has

’ said the parent, shaki

eing equally good at other things, he

’ said the parent again,

you, he gradually made up his mind to go seek his fortune out of learning. He went away t

‘Let him never come within sight of my eyes, nor yet within reach of my arm. His own father ain’t good enough for hi

rcible, he now clutched his knife overhand, and struck downward with it at the end of every succeeding

ever speak a word more in his favour, or you’ll disown your own father, likewise, and what your father says of him he’ll have to come to say of yo

aw her, with a face quite strange to him, shrinking

bear to see you striki

fe; but in his aston

horrible. O put it

ation, he tossed it away, and stood up

Can you think I would st

o; you would n

hould I

d soul I am certain, nothing! But it was too dreadful to bear; f

d it loo

her trial of last night, and her trial of the morning,

laid her head upon his knee, and tried to restore her. But failing, he laid her head gently down again, got a pillow and placed it under her dar

r, took her head on his arm, and moistened her lips with a little water into which he dippe

m’at deadly sticking to my clothes? What’s let