My Lady's Money

witness) rang the bell at the mean and dirty lodging-house in whi

ugh a thick cloud of tobacco smoke, a small, fat, bald-headed, dirty, old man, in an arm-chair, robed in a tatte

rse, asthmatical voice, and fixing a pair of bright,

raced an honorable profession, as he might have looked at a reptile which

ith this reply Old Sharon held out his unwashed hand acro

the tips of his own fingers for a thousan

n enough for you-eh?" he said, with an appearance of being very much amused. "There's a dirty old man described in this book that is a little like me." He held up his French novel. "Ha

ed a silent permission to smoke

aid Old Sharon

eyes of the pug-dog on his lap. At that moment, indeed there was a curious resemblance between the t

secutive narrative. When he had done, Old Sharon suddenly opened his eyes. The pug-dog suddenly opened his

I don't know your name. What I do know is a lawyer's statement of facts when I he

and willing to answer any questions relating to them. Old Sharon waited a little, smoking hard and thinkin

ed from him by the marvelous ability with which the questions were adapted to the end in view. In a quarter of an hour Old Sharon had extracted from the witness everything, literally everything down to t

roy. "Have you for

formed my

t is

winked confidentially at Mr. Tro

ound note much of

he money is wanted fo

on hearsay-and you know as a lawyer what that is worth. Venture your ten pounds-in plain English, pay me for m

" said Mr. Troy. "What do you guarantee

lly rests. And if you employ me after that, I guarantee (before you pay me

uinea opinion firs

ever. "I like you!" he said to Mr. Troy, "you are so devilish fond of your money. Lord! how rich you must be! Now l

color at those last words. Mr. Troy looked thorou

all?" h

oken to the girl and formed my own opinion? No! Have I been introduced among the servants (as errand-boy, or to clean the boots and shoes, or what not), and have I formed my own judgement of them?

r. Troy, in spite of himself. It was smartly put

ct to your annoying the young lady with impertinent questions,

with them on the rickety table in a comical f

der the table, appeared again with an old boot and a bottle of blackening, and set to work with tigerish activity. "I'm going out for a walk, you know, and I may as well make myself smart." With that announcement, he began to sing over his work-a song of sentiment, popular in England in the early part of the present century-"She's all my fancy painted her; she's lovely, she's divine; but her heart it is another's; and it never can be mine! Too-ral-loo-ral-loo'. I like a love-song. Brush away! brush away! till I see my own pretty face in the blacking. Hey! Here's a nice, harmless, jolly old man! sings and jokes over his work, and makes the kitchen quite cheerful. What's that you say? He's a stranger, and don't talk to him too freely. You ought to be ashamed of you

and let you kno

in a great hurry to the place at which Moody was sitting. He laid one hand

t you five pounds I never

tment at Sharon's familiarity, and he appeared to find no amusement in Sharon's extraordinary talk. The old vagabond seemed actually to produce a serious impression on him! When

to say before we

n. "Not just now, sir," he replied, looki

ply from his own peculiar point of view. He sudden

n your solemn word of honor, you know

ainly

like coming back, on your own account-five pounds wil

ed him. The old vagabond was settled again in his armchair, with his dog in his lap, his pipe in his mouth, and his French nove

r. Troy, with haug

in his novel. "You've had your guinea's worth. Lor

in. "What could my friend mean by recommending him? Fancy his expecting me to

," said Moody, "I don't q

oracular sentence of his-'Suspect the very last per

nd it, sir. I only say

Do your suspicions

, Mr. Troy, I should like to wai

till, and eyed his compan

etective-policeman on yo

ody answered, firmly. "I have saved a few hundred pounds in Lady Lydiard's service

erhaps unconsciously) a little offended by the independent tone in which the steward spoke, af

nt and slave in me!" Moody answe

ted friend, for instance-I have promised to serve her, and I mean to keep my word. You will excuse me for adding that my experience and discretion are quite as like

u have anything to propose, sir, that will be of service to Miss Isabel,"

conscious of having nothing to

my own course, and blame nobody

: he parted from Mood

unt's house, and on warning her, in her future intercourse with Moody, not to trust too much to the steward's discretion.