Sandra Belloni -- Volume 7

from the railway to Brookfield through the circle of firs, thinking of some serious tale of home to invent for her ears to-morrow. Whatever it was, he was able to conclude it-"

luted him as the door o

ned, and her voice reso

d a discretion significa

on in t

nt much," said Wilfrid

spoke: Mr. Pole and Cornelia following with a word, to which Mrs. Chump responded shrilly: "Ye shan't talk to 'm, none of ye, till

ookfield had almost as utterly cast off their garb of lofty reserve and inscrutable superiority. They were begging Mrs. Chump to be, for pity's sake, silent. They were arguing with the woman. They were remonstrating-to such an extent as this, in reply to an infamous outburst: "No, no: indeed, Mrs. Chump, indeed!" They rose, as she rose, and stood abo

hing infernally as he watched her growing amazement. "Ye're jokin', Mr. Paricles," she tried to say and think; but the very naming of poverty had given her shivers. She told him how she had come to him because of Mr. Pole's reproach, which accused her of causing the rupture.

and put Braintop to such confusion that he hailed a cab recklessly, declaring to her she had no time to lose, if she wished to catch the train. Mrs. Chump requested the cabman that as a man possessed of a feeling heart for the interests of a helpless woman, he would drive fast; and, at the station, disputed his charge on the ground of the knowledge already imparted to him of her precarious financial state. In this frame of mind she fell upon Brookfield, and there was clamour in the house. Wilfrid arrived two hours after Mrs. Chump. For that space the ladies had been saying over and over again empty words to pacify her. The task now devolved on their brother. Mr. Pole, though he had betrayed nothing under the excitement of the sudden shock, had lost the proper control of his mask. Wilfrid c

jaculated Mrs. Chump

ourse! of course. Have

tily from his armchair

rt

I understand ye,

ist in explaining," Wil

of a curtsey, "I'll thank ye vary much, sir." She added immediat

hey devoted to her property, and Adela determined to pray that night for its safe preservation. The secret feeling in the hearts of the ladies was, that in putting them on their trial with poverty, Celestial Powers would never at the same time think it necessary to add disgrace. Consequently, and as a defence against the darker dread, they now, for the first time, fully believed that monetary ruin had befallen thei

f tender civility cause

't sound like wheedl

th. "Come; it will do

bel

w'll I

aid Adela; and Mrs. Chump, accustomed to an occasional (though

u till you do sle

aned, "suppose I'm too p

bankru

ly not done for a remuneration, and such a ser

its dishonesty. She looked at Cornelia with envy. The latter lady was leaning meditatively, her arm on a side of her chair

hump asked Mr. Pole whether he w

n," said he, aware that the questio

s onnly a false alarrm

y'd have listened to-y

going

it's you," she flashed on Wilfrid; "it's you, my dear, that smell so like poor Chump. Oh! if we'

d, affecting to laugh, though

artha Chump! Do I want to hang myself, and burn forty thousand pounds worth o' candles round my corpse danglin' there? Now, there, now! Is that sense? And what'd Pole want to bu

departed, shaking her head at Wilfrid: "Ye smile so nice, ye do!" by the wa

er the fireplace, and waited. The old man perceived him, and made certain humming sounds, as of preparation. Wilfrid was half te

a candid air, "people who know nothing about busin

he fell d

for him to speak. To encourage him,

d! No, I mean all of y

to think-but, well! t

ried Wilfri

cold, and I'm queer in the back-can't talk! Light my candle, young gentleman-my candle there,

, sir," said Wilfrid, about as mu

won't. No cheques written 'tween night and morning. That's positive. There! t

le merchant nodded to his son, and snat

rs, to see all right when you're going to tur

ward to the bittersweet hour verging upon dawn, when he should be writing to Emilia things to melt the vilest obduracy. The excitement which had greeted him on his arrival at Brookfield was to be thanked fo

the bed were drawn close, and the fire in the grate burnt steadily. Calm sleep seemed to fill the chamber. Wilfrid was retiring, wit

sir?"

r's

t fa

in curtains, cam

't see me. You know why. If he breaks with me- it's a common case in any business-I'm... we're involved together." Then followed a deep sigh. The usual crisp br

ed Wilfrid, horrified by the thou

shook vi

"there's another thing you can do. Go to the underta

. In fear of irritating the old man, and almost as much in fear of bringing on himself a revelation of the frightful