Miracle Gold (Vol. 1 of 3)

eshened the dusty, parched streets. Now all London capable of being made fresh and blithe by weather was blazing gallantly in the unclouded radiance of summer. Even Chetwynd Street, a third ra

nd Street seemed to have. Man had built it. It was man's own, and man seem

and pawnbrokers of the thoroughfare were well-to-do people, they did not put their wealth upon their backs. It would have been considered ostentatious for ordinary mortals to wear broadcloth within the precincts of the street. The sumptuary laws of

slight as his neighbour, of the Hanover. His only window on the shop-floor, looking into Chetwynd Street, was composed of panes of crown glass of moderate size. In Welbeck Place, on the ground floor, he had a blank wall, and farther up the Place, a modest door. In Chetwynd Street, beyond the shop door, was another door belonging to him; the door to the staircase and dwelling part of the house above the shop. The door in Welbeck Place led also to the base of the staircase, and to the bakehouse at the rear. The side door was not used for business purposes of the bakery. The back of the bakehouse at the rear stood in

lace, being over the hall and part of the shop. The bed-room was over the middle section of the shop. The work-room was at the eastern end of the house. The bed-room looked into Chetwynd Street. The sitting-room looked into the same street. The work-shop loo

t had a flat all to himself, and was as independent as if he owned a whole house. In the matter of doors, he was rather better off than his neighbours, who had whole houses; for he had, first of all, the door of his own flat at the top of the stairs, and was allowed a key for the outer door into Chetwynd Street, and on

room over the hall was his bed-room: the room over the store was hi

n was very affable, very gallant, very popular. "Quite the gentleman," ladies of the locality who enjoyed his acquaintance declared. Among the men he was greatly respected. They believed him to be very rich, notwithstanding that he pleaded poverty for living so high up as the top floor of Forbes's bakery, and dispensing with a serva

believed him to be poor or only comfortable they would have called him little Leigh. His appearance was so uncommon they readily endowed him with supernatural powers. But upon the whole they held his presence among them as a

slightly, and exchanging cheerful greetings with those he knew better. When he came to the Hanover public-house, lying be

but that for excellence of liquor and company the latter was the better of the two. It was a well-known fact that Mr. Jacobs, the greengrocer who came from Sloane Street to get three-pennyworth of the famous Hanover rum hot, never smoked anything less than cigars which he bought cheap of his friend, Mr. Isaacs, at sixpence each. It was a custom for the frequenters in turn to say now and then to Mr. Jacobs, "That's a good cigar, Mr. Jacobs; my word, a good cigar." At which challenge Mr. Jacobs became grave, took the cigar out of his mouth and looked at it carefully while he h

e was there. Behind the bar in his shirt-sleeves was the potman who attended to the ordi

up on a high cane-seated stool, pulling out a white handkerc

landlord in a gracious and pleasant

ou have a bra

ll for the sake of company, as

gh took his up, nodded to Williams, saying laconically, "Health," to which the other resp

d stuff. Anything wrong?" "Well, Mr. William

n't any good unless he eats a hearty breakfast, I say. What'

brandy. Give me another. I'm tired. I've had such a mo

ou have had a

areful not to knock up my digestion, Mr. Williams. When a man's digestion is upset he isn't fit for figures, for calculations, yo

t reserve of solid wisdom which, for reasons undefined to himself, he kept inactive for his own secret pleasure, as a man might hoard a priceless jewel, gloating over the mere sense of possession. He had a firm conviction t

was hesitating and laconic beyond his custom; Leigh was too vivacious, tired, exhausted. During the pa

, and then a sideway nod of his head towards the door leading into

d quickly a

d and putting his back against the bar, "the

said Tom, as h

casks and pipes, Mr. Williams turned round and said, leaning over th

ed the perfume greedily. "Hah! That is so refreshing. Hah!" The long lean hands, with the glossy shining black hairs

h his forefingers under the leaf of the counter, "you were saying, Williams----?" He looked int

dlord, raising his black, thin, smooth eyebrows

elf up close to the counter "I meant what you were

d

en twelve

es

see anything?

," sto

ll me wha

u asked me to watch him, and keep an eye on him, to time his coming, and see that he was sha

ntry, down in Millway. Did you see him come? Did you see him come in through the shafts and straps and chains?" The blinking of t

up to the top window of the house at the opposite c

ive minutes fast, isn't it? You didn't for

allow us to clear the house at closing time. Bu

He couldn't be a second too soon. He couldn't

eigh! What's a second? Why that!" He tapped his hand on the pew

of a second before the stroke of twelve. But go on. Go on. I am all anxiety to he

e very busy then. I looked up again at six minutes past twelve by my clock here, a minute past twelve

he little man hastily. "I

n. A dull light such as yo

f my weak eyes. And by

a few seconds he began to wind up the machine

at the lever?" in a v

es

hat and closing time? betwee

ay often. Three or

e was winding up

and t

ly now a

you yourself woul

id he waste any of his precious time g

indow only once, while I was watc

e like? Ver

you trying if I am speaking the truth?" Williams became sudd

ell I have guarded the secrets of my great clock. I am most anxious that no one but this man who wound the clock for me last night shoul

everybody if he c

mb, and can't write," with a triumphant smil

red big man with fair hair and beard. He wore a round hat the who

it. I showed him how to sit. And tell me, when closing

my eyes on him until half-past twelve. He must have turned out the light before he g

while after, to see ther

, but all kept dark a

h, Williams. I am very, v

t's no

e matter. I don't want anyone to know this man was in my workshop. A lot of curious an

. I'll say

ngent fragrant vapour noisily into his nose. "So refreshing," he whispered audibly, "So refreshing." Then lift

with a gesture of scorn,

glad enough to take the smell of it out of your nose with any perfume. I told you I have been busy this morning. The want

and have another with me," sa

ve any more. Hah! i

, Mr. Leigh,

or me, and you're going to do me another good turn by saying nothing abo

, I never heard of ma

tudied magic, one of the greatest of the magicians of old. He at

Of course I have hea

which the ancient Egyptians poured hot over the dead. It was used by the Egyptians to prevent the ravages of time upon the faces of the

en plunged by the words of the other into a dense mist. He could see nothing and he was sure there

tum to preserve the faces of my clock from the influence of time. Asphaltum is a bituminous pitch, as

uch things were to be seen in the British Museum, but he had never been inside the walls of that crushing-looking fane of history. It was utterly impossible for him to imagine any way in which a mummy could be employed; but this only went to prove

the asphaltum

?" he repeated, being slow to relinquish this clevern

rning him as a guy in Welbeck Place on the fifth of November? Ha-ha-ha!" and with a harsh