Miss Grantley's Girls / And the Stories She Told Them

ad and more modern thoroughfares and to plunge into the silence and seclusion of the queer by-ways which l

ornaments which adorn the sacred porch. In these places-which even in summer are well-like in their cool impenetrable shade-there is no little business going on, however, for all round the rusty iron railing which incloses the weed-entangled graveyard the houses of city merchants seem to crowd

quiet shores the incautious wayfarer, being sometimes lost or cast away, can hear the humming surges of the great sea as they boom in the thoroughfares beyond. There is no alteration in this place from year to year, except such differences as are brought about by the change of seasons; no civic i

e summer serves to accumulate the store of dust and torn paper and shreds of light rubbish which the autumn wind swirls into neglected corners on the dim evenings when the rain weeps on the blackened windows and the mist creeps up to the steeple in long ghostly shapes. The winter brings

ess belonged to his father before him, and he himself had married into the business of another factor and general merchant. His wife had died some twenty years before the period of this story-died in giving birth to a boy, who was sometimes mistaken for the Co., but who at present occupied no better position than that of a superior

have been, though he was born in the gloomy house, and was subject to the same influences, the younger Dryce-whose name was Robert-never took kindly to the dull routine to which his father's habits doomed him. He was too dutiful and too mild in disposition-in fac

his existence. He was a self-contained man-an undemonstrative man, whose mind was attuned to respectable solitude, and who, without being a misanthrope, regarded his fellow creatures through a ground-glass medium, which made them seem shadowy and unapproachable. A few business acquaintances he had, with whom he would

he was "a buttoned-up man," and Richard Dryce co

ert to achieve something like independence by becoming a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Twidlers, whose hall stood within the precincts of Saint Simon Swynherde. It was only on the occasion of one of their dinners that Robert was allowed to be out after ten o'clock; but that restriction did not prevent his spending the larger number of

ome that very night, and, nerved to a sort of desperation, did speak to his father, ending with the usual declarations that his choice was unalterable. Perhaps it was; but, whether or not, Richard Dryce went the very way to make it so when he laughed that discordant laugh, an

living. This letter was sent by the hand of a sort of managing clerk, one Jaggers, who was at the same time commissioned to tell Robert that he could, if he chose, obtain a situation in a house at Liverpool, where his father's interest was sufficient to secure him a clerkship at a very moderate salary. Now it so happened that Jaggers had always appeared to be the best friend young Robert ever had; he had sympathized with him on the subject of his father's harshness; had applauded his noble sentiments when he had imparted the secret of his

pleading whose cause he, Jaggers, had very nearly obtained his own dismissal. The firm in which Robert was a clerk became bankrupt in the commercial crisis, and he was thrown out of employment. Again he wrote to his father, saying that he had an appointment offered him in Australia, and only wanted the money to pay

ely trouble himself to go, unless he had good news to take with him. Indeed, he had so much to occupy his attention, that some months had elapsed since he had seen Agnes; once only he had written a short reply to a note imploring him to say whether any remittance had arrived; but how could he spare time to attend to such matters when Mr. Dryce was every week taking a less active part in the business, and the Christmas quarter was stealing on with the balance-sheet not even thought of

rally him, and even asked him to come and dine or spend the evening with them, to which he res

S PETITION

ntle feeling; but as the tones of the organ swelled and the music grew louder, old Richard Dryce sat down in the corner of his own pew and leaned his head upon the book-board, with his hands clasped before his face. Not till the warm tears had trickled from between his fingers did he raise his head, and then it was to look round him to the cushion at the other end of the pew, for from some place near him he thought he had heard a sound that was out of all harmony with the organ, but not altogether apart from the associations of the Christmas hymn-the wailing of a child. Another moment and he was bending over a bundle seemingly composed of a coarse blue cloak, but from which there presently came out a baby hand and, the covering once pulled aside, a little round rosy face i

to get home to dinner; so away went the housekeeper in a cab with a letter from the doctor, and in two hours came back bringing with her a pale pretty young woman whose name was Jane Harris, and who, her husband having gone abroad and left her with a child which she had just lost, was reduced to apply at the workhouse. She was so timid, and had at first such a scared look, that Mr. Dryce had much trouble to induce her to stay; but it was quite wonderful the way in which the child took to her, and so a room was go

. He never stayed at his old tavern now for more than half an hour beyond the time it took him to eat his dinner, and even went so far as to tell two or three of his friends what he had done, a

ne morning, and came as she said from her husband, who had been for some time in Australia. Upon her recovery Mr. Dryce inquired a little into her husband's circumstances, and hearing that he was endeavouring to establish an agency in Sydney, wrote a letter requesting him to make some inquiries about a house to which Dryce & Co. had made large consignments, but whose promised remittance had not duly arrived. The old man had other matters to occupy him, however, for with something like a resumption of his old vigour and his

cash-books lay beside him on the table. She would have taken the child away, but Mr. Dryce told her to let him remain, and at t

e adoption of the little foundling, he had never seen the nurse; but that was scarcely any reason f

hich led to the passage, at the end of which was the priva

of the shaded lamp she could see that it contained a heavily bound box in which hung a bunch of keys. As she delivered Mr. Dryce's message, s

atcoat on, and there was a decent fire in the grate burning behind a guard. Still he shivered, and after taking the lamp and once more looking into the entry, gave a deep sigh of relief, and in a half-absent manner locked both box and desk and carefully placed the keys in a breast pocket. Le

the other end of the room. Then both he and his employer plunged into figures, till the chimes of a distant cloc

, and he had no sooner left the room than Mrs. Harris came in to fetc

r, and was as near having a fit

't got the boy. He's not here; run and see whether he has

er the sofa, and Mr. Dryce and the nurs

aid Mr. Dryce, kissing the warm rosy cheek; "take him off to

g tallow candle, and looking carefully on every stair. "I beg your pardon, sir," he said, with a scared look, as he

-most extraordinary!" he said to himself, t

loor and patting the carpet with his hands. "I know I had them whe

igns. If we find the keys, you can have them to-morrow; and if not, we will have

gan to grow a little impatient. At last he got rid of him by giving him permission to come early on the f

ing at the fire, and sipping a glass of hot

but have you mi

pardon, Mrs. Harris; sit down a moment. I was thinki

f the bosom of baby's frock when I undr

d singled out one particular key, held it nearer the light, at the same time comparing

ris," he said: "these are the keys Mr. Jaggers h

key but his would open it. It opened easily with Jaggers's key, however; and from the lower drawer was missing all the proper

moval. In the desk were found bills, letters, and correspondence, a glance at which disclosed a long system of fraud and peculation. Above all, amongst the loose papers we

s's villany, there came a low knocking at the door, and two men entered, one of

know whether he has robbed you, or if you have reason to susp

s fell into the arms of the stranger, w

m the person to whom you wrote, and I have b

an, whose question was answered by a recital of the

his dear little face," said old Dryce,

ght down tenderly,

bearded stranger. "He's no

yce, surprised. "How should he be

ight. "My name is Robert Dryce, and this is my child, whose mother left it to the mercy of He

k an hour to make him understand it al

st, "I'm glad you were in

" he added, correcting himself. "This baby's hand has unlocked more trea

----

the noise of the cabs all night, and of the carts and wagons as soon as daylight came. And then there are such crowds of people in the streets; and if you walk you are pushed about so, and if you ride you can't s

ut quietly and live in it, looking and thinking and making one's own pictures and one's own romances of it, would be delightful for six months in the year. I often think it would be grand to spend a summer day in the middle of one of the bridges-Westminster or London Bridge-and watch the boats on the river and the tide of people coming and going, and see the clouds and the sunshine change the colour of

mily party, and had to make the most of the pleasure that is to be found in the wonderful aspects of the great city itself. Of course it is only possible for a poor unprotected creature to see a part of the greatest c

it, Miss Grantle

nd I was her tenant while I was studying to pass two examinations. I had been staying with old friends of my dear father, for they did not desert me altogether though I was only a governess; indeed, they gave me too large a share of the amusements and sight-seeing which take up so much time, so that I

ematics sometimes, so that when I left he was able to attend an advanced class at an evening college in the city. He had the sentiment of a gentleman too, though he was a printer's boy and was always called Bob. He never talked to me unless I spoke to him first or he had to give me some direction or tell me which way we were going; and in the great thoroughfares he would walk either just in front or at a little distance, so that no one would have known we were companions. I used to remonstrate with him sometimes, for it made me fe

buildings, that he might be able to have something to say when I insisted on talking to him as we strolled quietly along in the less-crowd

le boy that you are going to tell us a story?" asked Sa

expressive eyes upon the questioner, but the instantan

an earl, even though to be scrupulously courteous should be regarded as duties and customs belonging to their station. To have received true and delicate consideration from a printer's boy is therefore more rema

rebuke even in the gentle tone in which the wor

know an actor,

ut at the village near which I lived when I was at home with my dear father, whose house and groun

something about th

the story for to-morrow evening-the story of a