Classic Audiobook Collection - A House to Let by Charles Dickens ~ Full Audiobook [mystery]

Episode Date: December 14, 2022

A House to Let by Charles Dickens audiobook. Genre: mystery A House to Let is a short story originally published in 1858 in the Christmas edition of Dickens' Household Words magazine. Each of the contributors wrote a chapter (stories within a story, or, in the case of Adelaide Anne Procter, poetry) and the story was edited by Dickens, who also wrote the first and last chapters with Wilkie Collins. The plot concerns an elderly woman, Sophonisba, who notices signs of life in a supposedly empty dilapidated house (the eponymous 'House to Let') opposite her own, and employs the efforts of an elderly admirer, Jabez Jarber, and her servant, Trottle, to discover what is happening within For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 1 (00:37:36) Chapter 2 (01:09:35) Chapter 3 (02:01:26) Chapter 4 (02:39:45) Chapter 5 (03:01:06) Chapter 6 (03:40:27) Chapter 7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

a house to let by charles dickens wilkie collins elizabeth gaskell adelaide ann proctor over the way i had been living at tumbridge wells and nowhere else going on for ten years when my medical man very clever in his profession and the prettiest player i ever saw in my life of the hand at long whist which was a noble and princely game before short was heard of said to me one day as he sat feeling my pulse on the actual sofa which my poor dear sister jane worked before her spine came on and laid her on a board for fifteen months at a stretch the most upright woman that ever lived said to me "'What we want, ma'am, is a Philip.' "'Good gracious, goodness, gracious, Dr. Towers,' says I, "'quite startled at the man, for he was so christened himself. "'Don't talk as if you were alluding to people's names, "'but say what you mean.'

"'I mean, dear ma'am, that we want a little change of air and scene.' "'Bless the man,' said I, "'does he mean we or me?' "'I mean you, ma'am. "'Then, Lord, forgive you, Dr. Towers,' I said. "'Why don't you get into a habit of expressing yourself in a straightforward manner, "'like a loyal subject of our gracious Queen Victoria "'and a member of the Church of England?'

"'Towers laughed, as he generally does, "'when he has fidgeted me into any of my impatient ways, "'one of my states, as I call them, "'and then he began, "'tone, Mars.' "'Am tone is all you require.' He appealed to Trottle, who just then came in with the coalscuttle, looking in his nice black suit, like an amiable man,

putting on coals from motives of benevolence. Trottle, whom I always call my right hand, has been in my service two and thirty years. He entered my service far away from England. He is the best of creatures, and the most of the most of the service. respectable of men, but opinionated. "'What you want, Mom,' says Trottle, making up the fire in his quiet and skillful way, is tone. "'Lord, forgive you both,' says I, bursting out a laughing.

"'I see you are in a conspiracy against me, so I suppose you must do what you like with me and take me to London for a change. For some weeks, Towers had hinted at London, and consequently I was prepared for him. When we had got to this point, we got on so expeditiously that Trottle was packed off to London

next day but one, to find some sort of place for me to lay my troublesome old head in. Trottle came back to me at the Wells after two days' absence, with accounts of a charming place that could be taken for six, months certain, with liberty to renew on the same terms for another six, and which really did afford every accommodation that I wanted.

"'Could you really find no fault at all in the rooms, Trottle?' I asked him. "'Not a single one, ma'am. They are exactly suitable to you. There is not a fault in them. There is but one fault outside of them.' "'And what's that?' they are opposite a house to let oh i said considering of it but is that such a very great objection i think it my duty to mention it ma'am it is a dull object to look at otherwise i was so greatly pleased with the lodging that i should have closed with the terms at once as i had your authority to do trottle thinking so highly of the place in my interest i wished not to disappoint him consequently i said the empty house may let perhaps oh dear no ma'am said trottle shaking his head with decision it won't let it never does let ma'am mercy me why not nobody knows ma'am all i have to

mention is, ma'am, that the house won't let. How long has this unfortunate house been to let, in the name of fortune, said I? Ever so long, said Trottle, years. Is it in ruins? It's a good deal out of repair, ma'am, but it's not in ruins. The long and the short of this business was that next day, I had a pair of post-horses put to my chariot, for I never travel by railway. Not that I have anything to say against railways,

except that they came in when I was too old to take to them, and that they made ducks and drakes of a few turnpike bonds I had. And so I went up myself with Chottle in the rumble to look at the inside of this same lodging, and at the outside of this same house. As I say I went and saw for myself. The lodging was perfect. That I was sure it would be,

because Trottle is the best judge of comfort I know. The empty house was an eyesore, and that I was sure it would be too, for the same reason. However, setting the one thing against the other, the good against the bad, the lodging very soon got the victory over the house, My lawyer, Mr. Squares of Crown Office Road Temple, drew up an agreement, which his young man jabbered over so dreadfully when he read it to me that I didn't understand one word of it except my own name, and hardly that. And I signed it, and the other party signed it, and in three weeks' time I moved my old bones' bag and baggage up to London.

For the first month or so I arranged to leave Trottle at the Wells. I made this arrangement, not only because there was a good deal to take care of in the way of my school-children and pensioners, and also of a new stove in the hall, to air the house in my absence, which appeared to me calculated to blow up and burst. But likewise, because I suspect Trottle, though the steadiest of men and a widower between six, and seventy, to be what I call rather a philanderer. I mean that when any friend comes down to see me and brings a maid, Trotl is always remarkably ready to show that maid the wells of an evening, and that I have more than once noticed the shadow of his arm,

outside the room door, nearly opposite my chair, encircling that maid's waist on the landing, like a tablecloth brush. Therefore I thought it just as well, before any London philandering took place, that I should have a little time to look round me, and to see what girls were in and about the place. So nobody stayed with me in my new lodging at first,

after Trottle had established me there safe and sound, but Peggy Flobbins my maid, a most affectionate and attached woman, who never was an object of philandering since I have known her, and is not likely to begin to become so after nine and twenty years next March. It was the 5th of November when I first breakfasted in my new rooms. The guys were going about in the brown fog, like magnified monsters of insects in table-bier, and there was a guy resting on the doorsteps of the house to let. I put on my glasses, partly to see how the boys were pleased

with what I sent them out by Peggy, and partly to make sure that she didn't approach too near the ridiculous object, which, of course, was full of sky-rockets, and might go off into bangs at any moment. In this way it happened that the first time I ever looked at the house to let, after I became its opposite neighbour, I had my glasses on. And this might not have happened once in fifty times, for my sight is uncommonly good for my time of life, and I wear glasses as little as I can for fear of spoiling it. I knew already that it was a ten-roomed house, very dirty and very dirty, and a very dirty, and a little.

much dilapidated, that the area rails were rusty and peeling away, and that two or three of them were wanting, or half-wanting, that there were broken panes of glass in the windows and blotches of mud on other panes which the boys had thrown at them, that there was quite a collection of stones in the area, also proceeding from those young mischiefs, that there were games chalked on the pavement before the house, and likenesses of ghosts chalked on the street door, that the windows were all darkened by rotting old blinds or shutters or both, that the bills to let had curled up, as if the damp air of the place had given them cramps, or had dropped down into corners as if they were no more.

I had seen all this on my first visit, and I had remarked to Trottle that the lower part of the black board about terms was split away, that the rest had become illegible, and that the very stone of the doorsteps was broken across. Notwithstanding, I sat at my breakfast-table on that, pleased to remember the 5th of November morning, staring at the house through my glasses, as if I had never looked at it before. All at once, in the first-floor window on my right, down in the a low corner at a hole in a blind or a shutter, I found that I was looking at a secret eye. The reflection of my fire may have touched it and made it shine, but I saw it shine and vanish. The eye might have seen me, or it might not have seen me, sitting there in the glow of my fire, you can take which probability you prefer without offence. But something struck through my frame, as if the sparkle of this eye had been electric and had flashed straight at me. It had such an effect upon me that I could not remain by myself, and I rang for flobbins and invented some

little jobs for her to keep her in the room. After my breakfast was cleared away, I sat in the same place with my glasses on, moving my head now so and now so, trying whether with the shining of my fire and the floors in the window-glass, I could reproduce any sparkle seeming to be up there that was like the sparkle of an eye. but no, I could make nothing like it. I could make ripples and crooked lines in the front of the house to let, and I could even twist one window up and loop it into another,

but I could make no eye, nor anything like an eye, so I convinced myself that I really had seen an eye. Well, to be sure, I could not get rid of the impression of this eye, and it troubled me and troubled me, until it was almost a torment. I don't think I was previously inclined to concern my head much about the opposite house. But after this eye, my head was full of the house, and I thought of little else than the house. and i watched the house and i talked about the house and i dreamed of the house in all this i fully believe now there was a good providence but you will judge for yourself about that by and by my landlord was a butler who had married a cook and set up housekeeping they had not kept house longer than a couple of years and they knew no one of the house-keeping and they knew no one of the house-keeping and they knew no one of the house-keeping and they knew no one. more about the house to let than I did. Neither could I find out anything concerning it among

the tradespeople or otherwise, further than what Trottle had told me at first. It had been empty, some said six years, some said eight, some said ten. It never did let, they all agreed, and it never would let. I soon felt convinced that I should work myself into one of my states about the house, and I soon did. I lived for a whole month in a flurry that was always getting worse. Towers' prescriptions, which I had brought to London with me, were of no more use than nothing. In the cold winter sunlight, in the thick winter in the black winter rain, in the white winter snow, the house was equally on my mind. I have heard, as everybody else has, of a spirit's haunting a house, but I have had my own

personal experience of a house's haunting a spirit, for that house haunted mine. In all that month's time, I never saw anyone go into the house nor come out of the house. I suppose that such a thing must take place sometimes in the dead of the night, or the glimmer of the morning. But I never saw it done. I got no relief from having my curtains drawn when it came on dark and shutting out the house. the eye then began to shine in my fire i am a single old woman i should say at once without being at all afraid of the name i am an old maid only that i am older than the phrase would express the time was when i had my love trouble but it is long and long ago he was killed at sea dear heaven rest his blessed head when i was twenty-five i have all my life since ever i can remember been deeply fond of children i have always felt such a love for them that i have had my sorry my son

and sinful times, when I have fancied something must have gone wrong in my life. Something must have been turned aside from its original intention, I mean, or I should have been the proud and happy mother of many children, and a fond old grandmother this day. I have soon known better in the cheerfulness and contentment that God has blessed me with and given me abundant reason for. and yet I have had to dry my eyes even then, when I have thought of my dear, brave, hopeful, handsome, bright-eyed Charlie, and the trust meant to cheer me with. Charlie was my youngest brother, and he went to India. He married there, and sent his gentle little wife home to me to be confined, and she was to go back to him, and the baby was to be left with me, and I was.

I was to bring it up. It never belonged to this life. It took its silent place among the other incidents in my story that might have been, but never were. I had hardly time to whisper to her, "'Dare to my own,' "'or she to answer,

"'ashes to ashes, dust to dust, "'oh, lay it on my breast, "'and comfort.' Charlie, when she had gone to seek her baby at our saviour's feet. I went to Charlie, and I told him there was nothing left but me, poor me, and I lived with Charlie out there several years. He was a man of fifty when he fell asleep in my arms. His face had changed to be almost old and a little stern, but it softened and softened and softened when I laid it down, that I might cry and pray beside it.

And when I looked at it for the last time, it was my dear, untroubled, handsome, youthful Charlie of long ago. I was going on to tell that the loneliness of the house to let brought back all these recollections, and that they had quite pierced my heart one evening, when flobbins opening the door, and looking very much as if she wanted to laugh, but thought better of it, said, Mr. Jabba's Jarba, ma'am. Upon which Mr. Jarba ambled in, in his usual absurd way, saying, "'Sought for news, but,' which I am obliged to confess, is my name. A pretty one and proper one enough when it was given to me, but a good many years out of date,

now, and always sounding particularly high-flown and comical from his lips. So I said sharply, "'Though it is Sofanyzbo-Jaba, you are not obliged to mention it that I see.' In reply to this observation, the ridiculous man put the tips of my five right-hand fingers to his lips, and said again, with an aggravating accent on the third syllable, "'Sophonisba!' I don't burn lamps because I can't abide the smell of oil, and wax candles belonged to my day. I hope the convenient situation of one of my tall old candlesticks on the table at my elbow

will be my excuse for saying that if he did that again I would chop his toes with it. I'm sorry to add that when I told him so I knew his toes to be tender. but really at my time of life and at jarba's it is too much of a good thing there is an orchestra still standing in the open air at the wells before which in the presence of a throng of fine company i have walked a minuet with jarba but there is a house still standing in which i have worn a pinafore and had a tooth drawn by fastening a thread to the tooth and the door handle and toddling away from the door and how should i look now at my years in a pinafore or having a door for my dentist besides jarba always was more or less an absurd man he was sweetly dressed and beautifully perfumed and many girls of my day would have given their ears for him though i am bound to add that he never cared a fig for them or their advances either and that he was very constant to me for he not only proposed to me before my love happiness ended in sorrow but afterwards too not once nor yet twice, nor will we say how many times. However many they were, or however few they were,

the last time he paid me that compliment was immediately after he had presented me with a digestive dinner-pill stuck on the point of a pin. And I said on that occasion, laughing heartily, No, Jabba, if you don't know that two people who's united ages would make about a hundred and fifty have got to be old. I do. And I beg to swallow this nonsense in the form of this pill, which I took on the spot, and I request to hear no more of it. After that he conducted himself pretty well. He was always a little squeezed man,

was Jarba, in little sprigged waistcoats, and he had always little legs and a little smile, and a little voice, and little roundabout ways. As long as I can remember him, he was always going little errands for people, and carrying little gossip. At this present time when he called me Sophonizba. He had a little old-fashioned lodging in that new neighbourhood of mine. I had not seen him for two or three years, but I had heard that he still went out with a little perspective glass and stood on doorsteps in St. James's Street to see the nobility go to court,

and went in his little cloak and goloshes outside Willis's rooms to see them go to Almex, and caught the frightfulest colds, and got himself trodden upon by coachman and linkmen, until he went home to his landlady a mass of bruises, and had to be nursed for a month. Jarba took off his little fur-collared cloak, and sat down opposite me, with his little cane and hat in his hand.

Let us have no more softenisbe. "'If you please, Jarba,' I said. "'Call me Sarah. "'How do you do? "'I hope you are pretty well.' "'Thank you, and you?' said Jarba. "'I am as well as an old woman can expect to be.' "'Jarba was beginning—'

"'Say, not old, soften.' "'But I looked at the candlestick, and he left off, pretending not to have said anything. I am infirm, of course, I said, and so are you. Let us both be thankful it's no worse. Is it possible that you look worried? said Jarba. It is very possible.

I have no doubt it is the fact. And what has worried my soft-hearted friend? said Jarba. Something not easy. I suppose to comprehend. I am worried to death by a house to let over the way. Jarba went with his little tiptoe step to the window curtains, peeped out and looked round at me. Yes, said I in answer, that house.

After peeping out again, Jarba came back to his chair with a tender air and asked, "'How does it worry you, Sarah?' "'It is a mystery to me,' said I. "'Of course every house is a mystery, more or less, "'but something that I don't care to mention, "'for truly the eye was so slight a thing to mention "'that I was more than half ashamed of it. "'Has made that house so mysterious to me

"'and has so fixed it in my mind, that I have had no peace for a month. I foresee that I shall have no peace either, until Trottle comes to me next Monday. I might have mentioned before that there is a long-standing jealousy between Trottle and Jarba, and that there is never any love lost between those two. Trottle? Petulantly repeated Jarber with a little flourish of his cane. How is Tuttle to restore the lost piece of Sarah? He will exert himself to find out something about the house. I have fallen into that state about it that I really must discover, by some means or other good or bad, fair or foul,

how and why it is that that house remains. remains to let. And why, Trottle? Why not? Putting his little hat to his heart. Why not Jabba? To tell you the truth, I have never thought of Jarba in the matter. And now I do think of Jarba, through your having the kindness to suggest him, for which I am really and truly obliged to you, I don't think he could do it.

Sarah. I think it would be too much for you, Jarba. Sarah! There would be coming and going and fetching and carrying, Jarba, and you might catch cold. Sarah, what can be done by Trotl can be done by me. I am on terms of acquaintance with every person of responsibility in this parish. I am intimate at the circulating library. I converse daily with the assessed taxes.

I lodge with the water rate. I know the medical man. I lounge habitually at the house agents. I dine with the church wardens. I move to the guardians. Trottle, a person in the sphere of a domestic and totally unknown to society. Don't be warm, Jarber. In mentioning Trottle, I have naturally relied on my right hand,

who would take any trouble to gratify even a whim of his old mistresses. But if you can find out anything to help to unravel the mystery of this house to let, I shall be fully as much obliged to you as if there was never a trottle in the land. jarba rose and put on his little cloak a couple of fierce brass lions held it tight round his little throat but a couple of the mildest hairs might have done that i am sure sarah he said i go expect me on monday evening the six when perhaps you will give me a cup of tea may i ask for no green adieu this was on a thursday the second of december when i reflected that trottle would come back on monday two i had my misgivings as to the difficulty of keeping the two powers from open warfare and indeed i was more uneasy than i quite like to confess however the empty house swallowed up that thought next morning as it swallowed up most other thoughts now and the house was almost other thoughts now and the house was a house swallowed up most other thoughts now and the house quite prayed upon me all that day and all the Saturday.

It was a very wet Sunday, raining and blowing from morning to night. When the bells rang for afternoon church, they seemed to ring in the commotion of the puddles as well as in the wind, and they sounded very loud and dismal indeed, and the street looked very dismal indeed, and the house looked dismalest of all. I was reading my prayers near the light, and my fire was growing in the darkening window-glass, when, looking up, as I prayed for the fatherless children and widows, and all who were desolate and oppressed, I saw the eye again. It passed in a moment, as it had done before, but this time I was inwardly more convinced that I had seen it.

Well, to be sure I had a night that night. Whenever I closed my own eyes, it was to see eyes. Next morning, at an unreasonably, and I should have said but for that, railroad, an impossibly early hour, comes Trottle. As soon as he had told me all about the wells, I told him all about the house. He listened with as great interest and attention as I could possibly wish, until I came to Jabez Jarber, when he cooled in an instant and became opinionated. "'No, Trottle,' I said, pretending not to notice.

"'When Mr. Jarba comes back this evening, "'we must all lay our heads together.' "'I should hardly think that would be wanted, ma'am. "'Mr. Jarba's head is surely equal to anything.' "'Being determined not to notice, "'I said again that we must all lay our heads together.' whatever you order ma'am shall be obeyed still it cannot be doubted i should think that mr jarba's head is equal if not superior to any pressure that can be brought to bear upon it this was provoking and his way when he came in and out all through the day of pretending not to see the house to let was more provoking still

However, being quite resolved not to notice, I gave no sign whatever that I did notice. But when evening came, and he showed in Jarba, and when Jarba wouldn't be helped off with his cloak, and poked his cane into cane-chairbacks and china ornaments, and his own eye, in trying to unclasp his brazen lions of himself, which he couldn't do after all. I could have shaken them both. As it was, I only shook the teapot and made the tea. Jarba had brought from under his cloak a roll of paper, with which he had triumphantly pointed over the way,

like the ghost of Hamlet's father, appearing to the late Mr. Kimball, and which he had laid on the table. A discovery, said I, pointing to it when he was seated, had got his teacup. "'Don't go, Trottle!' "'The first of a series of discoveries,' answered Jarba. "'A count of a former tenant compiled from the water-rate and medical man.' "'Don't go, Trottle,' I repeated,

"'for I saw him making imperceptibly to the door.' "'Begging your pardon, ma'am, I might be in Mr. Jarba's way. jarba looked that he decidedly thought he might be i relieved myself for the good angry croak and said always determined not to notice have the goodness to sit down if you please trottle i wish you to hear this trottle bowed in the stiffest manner and took the remotest chair he could find even that he moved close to the draught from the keyhole of the door firstly jarba began after sipping his tea would my soften begin again jarba said i would you be much surprised if this house to let should turn out to be the property of a relation of your own? I should indeed be very much surprised. Then it belongs to your first cousin,

I learn, by the way, that he is ill at this time, George Forley. Then that is a bad beginning. I cannot deny that George Forley stands in the relation of first cousin to me, but I hold no communication with him. George Forley has been a hard, bitter, stony father to a child now dead. George Fawley was most implacable and unrelenting to one of his two daughters who made a poor marriage.

George Fawley brought all the weight of his hand to bear as heavily against that crushed thing, as he brought it to bear lightly, favouringly, and advantageously upon her sister, who made a rich marriage. "'I hope that with the measure George Fawley meet it, "'it may not be measured out to him again. "'I will give George Fawley no worse wish.' "'I was strong upon the subject, "'and I could not keep the tears out of my eyes, "'for that young girls was a cruel story,

"'and I had dropped many a tear over it before. "'The house being George Follies,' said I, is almost enough to account for their being a fate upon it, if fate there is. Is there anything about George Fawley in those sheets of paper? Not a word. I am glad to hear it. Please to read on. Trottle, why don't you come nearer?

Why do you sit mortifying yourself in those Arctic regions? Come nearer. Thank you, Mom. I am quite near enough to Mr. Jarba. Jarba rounded his chair to get his back full to my opinionated friend and servant, and beginning to read, tossed the words at him over his—Jabez Jarba's own ear and shoulder. He read what follows. End of Chapter 1, recording by Ruth Golding. Chapter 2 of A House to Lett.

This Librivox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Ruth Golding. A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor. Chapter 2. The Manchester Marriage Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw came from Manchester to London and took the House to Lett. He had been what is called in Lancashire, a salesman for a large manufacturing firm who were extending their business and opening a warehouse in London, where Mr. Openshaw was now to superintend the business. He rather enjoyed the change of residence, having a kind of curiosity about London,

which he had never yet been able to gratify in his brief visit to the metropolis. At the same time, he had an odd, shrewd, conunding. contempt for the inhabitants, whom he had always pictured to himself as fine, lazy people, caring nothing but for fashion and aristocracy, and lounging away their days in Bond Street and such places, ruining good English, and ready in their turn to despise him as a provincial. The hours that the men of business kept in the city scandalised him too, accustomed as he was, to the early dinners of Manchester folk and the consequently far longer evenings. Still he was pleased to go to London, though he would not for the world have confessed it even to himself,

and always spoke of the step to his friends, as one demanded of him by the interests of his employers, and sweetened to him by a considerable increase of salary. his salary indeed was so liberal that he might have been justified in taking a much larger house than this one had he not thought himself bound to set an example to londoners of how little a manchester man of business cared for show inside however he furnished the house with an unusual degree of comfort and in the winter time he insisted on keeping up as large fires as the greats would allow in every room where the temperature was in their least chilly. Moreover, his northern sense of hospitality was such that if he were at home, he could hardly suffer a visitor to leave the house without forcing meat and drink upon him. Every servant in the house was well-worned, well-fed and kindly treated, for their master scorned all petty saving in aught that conduced to comfort, while he amused himself by following

out all his accustomed habits and individual ways in defiance of what any of his new neighbours might think. His wife was a pretty gentle woman of suitable age and character. He was 42, she 35. He was loud and decided, she's soft and yielding. They had two children, or rather, I should say, she had two. For the elder, a girl, 11 was Mrs. Openshaw's child by Frank Wilson, her first husband. The younger was a little boy, Edwin, who could just prattle, and to whom his father delighted to speak in the broadest and most unintelligible Lancashire dialect, in order to keep up what he called the true Saxon accent.

Mrs. Openshaw's Christian name was Alice, and her first husband had been a very Saxon accent. her own cousin. She was the orphan niece of a sea-captain in Liverpool, a quiet, grave little creature, a great personal attraction when she was fifteen or sixteen, with regular features and a blooming complexion. But she was very shy, and believed herself to be very stupid and awkward, and was frequently scolded by her aunt, her own uncle's second wife. So, when a her cousin, Frank Wilson, came home from a long absence at sea, and first was kind and protective to her, secondly attentive, and thirdly desperately in love with her, she hardly knew how to be grateful enough to him. It is true she would have preferred his remaining in the first or second

stages of behaviour, for his violent love puzzled and frightened her. Her uncle neither helped nor hindered the love affair, though it was going on under his own eyes. Frank's stepmother had such a variable temper that there was no knowing whether what she liked one day she would like the next or not. At length she went to such extremes of crossness that Alice was only too glad to shut her eyes and rush blindly at the chance of escape from domestic tyranny. offered her by a marriage with her cousin. And liking him better than anyone in the world except her uncle, who was at this time at sea, she went off one morning and was married to him,

her only bridesmaid being the housemaid at her aunts. The consequence was that Frank and his wife went into lodgings, and Mrs. Wilson refused to see them, and turned away Nora, the warm-hearted housemaid, whom they accordingly took into their service. When Captain Wilson returned from his voyage, he was very cordial with the young couple and spent many an evening at their lodgings,

smoking his pipe and sipping his grog. But he told them that, for quietness sake, he could not ask them to his own house, for his wife was bitter against them. They were not very unhappy about this. The seed of future unhappiness lay rather in Frank's vehement, passionate disposition, which led him to resent his wife's shyness and want of demonstration as failures in conjugal duty. He was already tormenting himself and her, too, in a slighter degree,

by apprehensions and imaginations of what might befall her during his approaching absence at sea. At last he went to his father and urged him to insist upon Alice's being once more received under his roof, the more especially as there was now a prospect of her confinement while her husband was away on his voyage. Captain Wilson was, as he himself expressed it, breaking up, and unwilling to undergo the excitement of a scene. yet he felt that what his son said was true, so he went to his wife. And before Frank went to see, he had the comfort of seeing his wife installed in her old little garret in his father's house. To have placed her in the one best spare room was a step beyond Mrs. Wilson's powers of submission or generosity. The worst part about it, however, was that the faithful Nora had to be dismissal.

missed. Her place as housemaid had been filled up, and even had it not, she had forfeited Mrs. Wilson's good opinion for ever. She comforted her young master and mistress by pleasant prophecies of the time when they would have a household of their own, of which, in whatever service she might be in the meantime she would be sure to form part. Almost the last action Frank Wilson did before setting sail, was going with Alice to see Nora once more at her mother's house, and then he went away. Alice's father-in-law grew more and more feeble as winter advanced. She was of great use to her stepmother in nursing and amusing him, and although there was anxiety enough in the household, there was perhaps more of peace than there had been for years. For Mrs. Wilson

had not a bad heart, and was softened by the visible approach of death to one whom she loved, and touched by the lonely condition of the young creature, expecting her first confinement in her husband's absence. To this relenting mood, Nora owed the permission to come and nurse Alice when her baby was born, and to remain to attend on Captain Wilson, before one letter had been received from Frank, who had sailed for the East Indies and China, his father died. Alice was always glad to remember that he had held her baby in his arms, and kissed and blessed it before his death. After that, and the consequent examination into the state of his affairs, it was found that he had left far less property than people had been led by his style of living,

to imagine. And what money there was was all settled upon his wife and at her disposal after her death. This did not signify much to Alice, as Frank was now a first mate of his ship, and in another voyage or two would be captain. Meanwhile, he had left her some hundreds, all his savings, in the bank. It became time for Alice to hear from her husband. One letter from the cape she had already received. The next was to announce his arrival in India. As week after week passed over, and no intelligence of the ship's arrival reached the office of the owners, and the captain's wife was in the same state of ignorant suspense as Alice herself, her fears grew most oppressive. At length the day came when, in reply to her

inquiry at the shipping office, they told her that the owners had given up hope of ever hearing more of the Betsy Jane, and had sent in their claim upon the underwriters. Now that he was gone for ever, she first felt a yearning, longing love for the kind cousin, the dear friend, the sympathising protector, whom she should never see again. first felt a passionate desire to show him his child, whom she had hitherto rather craved to have all to herself, her own sole possession. Her grief was, however, noiseless and quiet, rather to the scandal of Mrs. Wilson, who bewailed her step-son, as if he and she had always lived together in perfect harmony, and who evidently

thought it her duty to burst into fresh tears at every strange face she saw, dwelling on his poor young widow's desolate state, and the helplessness of the fatherless child with an unction, as if she liked the excitement of the sorrowful story. So passed away the first days of Alice's widowhood. By and by things subsided into their natural and tranquil course. But as if this young creature was always to be in some heavy trouble. Her eulam began to be ailing, pining and sickly. The child's mysterious illness turned out to be some affection of the spine, likely to affect health, but not to shorten life,

at least so the doctors said. But the long, dreary suffering of one whom a mother loves, as Alice loved her only child, is hard to look forward to. Only Nora guessed what Alice suffered. No one but God knew. And so it fell out that when Mrs. Wilson, the elder,

came to her one day in violent distress, occasioned by a very material diminution in the value of the property that her husband had left her, a diminution which made her income barely enough to support herself, much less Alice. The latter could hardly understand how anything which did not touch health or life could cause such grief, and she received the intelligence with irritating composure. But when that afternoon the little sick child was brought in,

and the grandmother, who after all loved it well, began a fresh moan over her losses to its unconscious ears, saying how she had planned to consult this or that doctor, and to give it this or that comfort or luxury in after years, but that now all chance of this had passed away, Alice's heart was touched, and she drew near to Mrs. Wilson with unwonted caresses, and in a spirit not unlike to that of Ruth,

entreated that, come what would, they might remain together. After much discussion in succeeding days, it was arranged that Mrs. Wilson should take a house in months, Manchester, furnishing it partly with what furniture she had, and providing the rest with Alice's remaining £200. Mrs. Wilson was herself a Manchester woman, and naturally longed to return to her native town. Some connections of her own at that time required lodgings, for which they were willing to pay pretty handsomely. Alice undertook the active superintendence and superintendence and superior work of the household. Nora, willing, faithful Nora, offered to cook, scour,

do anything in short, so that she might but remain with them. The plan succeeded. For some years their first lodgers remained with them, and all went smoothly, with the one sad exception of the little girl's increasing deformity. How that mother loved that child is not for words. to tell. Then came a break of misfortune. Their lodgers left, and no one succeeded to them. After some months they had to remove to a smaller house, and Alice's tender conscience was torn by the idea

that she ought not to be a burden to her mother-in-law, but ought to go out and seek her own maintenance, and leave her child. The thought came like, the sweeping boom of a funeral bell over her heart. By and by Mr. Openshaw came to lodge with them. He had started in life as the errand-boy and sweeper out of a warehouse, had struggled up through all the grades of employment in the place,

fighting his way through the hard, striving Manchester life, with strong, pushing energy of character. Every spare moment of time had been so strong, sternly given up to self-teaching. He was a capital accountant, a good French and German scholar, a keen, far-seeing tradesmen, understanding markets and the bearing of events both near and distant on trade, and yet with such vivid attention to present details that I do not think he ever saw a group of flowers in the fields, without thinking whether their colours would, or would not, form harmonious contrasts in the coming spring muslins and prince.

He went to debating societies and threw himself with all his heart and soul into politics, esteeming it must be owned every man a fool or a knave who differed from him, and overthrowing his opponents rather by the loud strength of his language than the calm strength of his logic. There was something of the Yankee in all this. Indeed, his theory ran parallel to the famous Yankee motto, England Flogs Creation and Manchester Flogs England. Such a man, as may be fancied, had had no time for falling in love for any such nonsense.

At the age when most young men go through their courting and matrimony, he had not the means of keeping a wife, and was far too practical to think of having one. and now that he was in easy circumstances a rising man he considered women almost as incumbrances to the world with whom a man had better have as little to do as possible his first impression of alice was indistinct and he did not care enough about her to make it distinct a pretty yea nay kind of woman would have been his description of her if he had been pushed into a corner he was rather afraid in the beginning that her quiet ways arose from a listlessness and laziness of character which would have been exceedingly discordant to his active energetic nature but when he found out the punctuality with which his wishes were attended to and her work was done when he was called in the morning at the very stroke of the clock his shaving water scalding hot his fire bright his coffee made exactly as his peculiar fancy dictated, for he was a man who had his theory about everything, based upon what he knew of science, and often perfectly original. Then he began to think, not that Alice had any peculiar

merit, but that he had got into remarkably good lodgings. His restlessness wore away, and he began to consider himself as almost settled for life in them. Mr. Openshaw had been too busy, all his life to be introspective. He did not know that he had any tenderness in his nature, and if he had become conscious of its abstract existence, he would have considered it as a manifestation of disease in some part of his nature. But he was decoyed into pity unawares,

and pity led on to tenderness. That little helpless child, always carried about by one of the things, three busy women of the house, or else patiently threading coloured beads in the chair, from which by no effort of its own could it ever move. The great grave blue eyes, full of serious, not uncheerful expression, giving to the small, delicate face a look beyond its years. The soft, plaintive voice dropping out but few words, so unlike the continual prattle of a child, caught mr openshaw's attention in spite of himself one day he half scorned himself for doing so he cut short his dinner hour to go in search of some toy which should take the place of those eternal beads

i forget what he bought but when he gave the present which he took care to do in a short abrupt manner and when no one was by to see him he was almost thrilled by the flash of delight that came over that child's face, and could not help all through that afternoon, going over and over again the picture left on his memory by the bright effect of unexpected joy on the little girl's face. When he returned home, he found his slippers placed by his sitting-room fire, and even more careful attention paid to his fancies than was habitual in those model lodgings. When Alice had taken the last of his tea-things away, she had been silent as usual till then, she stood for an instant with the door in her hand. Mr. Opensure looked as if he were deep in his book, though in fact he did not see a line,

but was heartily wishing the woman would be gone, and not make any palaver of gratitude. But she only said, I am very much obliged to you, sir, thank you very much, and was gone, even before he could send her away with a, "'There, my good woman, that's enough.' For some time longer he took no apparent notice of the child. He even hardened his heart into disregarding her sudden flush of colour, and little timid smile of recognition when he saw her by chance. But, after all, this could not last for ever.

And having a second time given way to tenderness, there was no relapse. The insidious enemy, having thus entered his heart in the guise of compassion to the child, soon assumed the more dangerous form of interest in the mother. He was aware of this change of feeling, despised himself for it, struggled with it, nay, internally yielded to it, and cherished it, long before he suffered the slightest expression of it, by word, action, or look, to escape him. He watched Alice's docile, obedient ways to her stepmother, the love which she had inspired in the rough Nora, roughened by the wear and tear of sorrow and years. But above all, he saw the wild, deep, passionate affection

existing between her and her child. They spoke little to anyone else. or when anyone else was by. But when alone together they talked and murmured and cooed and chattered so continually that Mr. Openshaw first wondered what they could find to say to each other, and next became irritated

because they were always so grave and silent with him. All this time he was perpetually devising small new pleasures for the child's. His thoughts ran in a pertinacious way, upon the desolate life before her, and often he came back from his day's work, loaded with the very thing Alice had been longing for, but had not been able to procure. One time it was a little chair

for drawing the little sufferer along the streets, and many an evening that ensuing summer, Mr. Openshaw drew her along himself, regardless of the remarks of his acquaintances. One day in autumn he put down his news-spreads, as Alice came in with the breakfast, and said in as indifferent a voice as he could assume, "'Mrs. Frank, is there any reason why we two should not put up our horses together?' Alice stood still in perplexed wonder. What did he mean?'

He had resumed the reading of his newspaper as if he did not expect any answer, so she found silence her safest course, and went on quietly around, his breakfast without another word passing between them. Just as he was leaving the house to go to the warehouse, as usual, he turned back, and put his head into the bright, neat, tidy kitchen where all the women breakfasted in the morning. "'You'll think of what I said, Mrs. Frank?' "'This was her name with the lodgers. "'And let me have your opinion upon it to-night.'

Alice was thankful that her mother and Nora were too busy talking together to attend much to this speech. She determined not to think about it at all through the day, and of course the effort not to think made her think all the more. At night she sent up Nora with his tea, but Mr. Openshaw almost knocked Nora down as she was going out at the door by pushing past her, and calling out Mrs. Frank, in an impatient voice at the top of the stairs. Alice went up, rather than seem to have affixed too much meaning to his words. "'Well, Mrs. Frank,' he said, "'What answer? Don't make it too long, for I have lots of office work to get through to-night.'

"'I hardly know what you meant, sir,' said truthful Alice. "'Well, I should have thought you might have guessed. You're not new at this sort of work, and I am. however I'll make it plain this time Will you have me to be thy wedded husband And serve me and love me and honour me and all that sort of thing Because if you will I will do as much by you And be a father to your child And that's more than is put in the prayer-book

Now I'm a man of my word And what I say I feel And what I promise I'll do Now for your answer Alice was silent he began to make the tea as if her reply was a matter of perfect indifference to him but as soon as that was done he became impatient well said he how long sir may i have to think over it three minutes looking at his watch if had two already that makes five be a sensible woman say yes and sit down to tea with me and we'll talk it over together for after tea i shall be a sensible woman say yes and sit down to tea with me and we'll talk it over together for after tea i shall be busy. Say no. He hesitated a moment to try and keep his voice in the same tone. And I shan't

say another word about it, but pay up a year's rent for my rooms to-morrow and be off. Time's up. Yes or no. If you please, sir, you have been so good to little Elsie. There, sit down comfortably by me on the sofa and let us have our tea together. I'm glad to find you are as good and as I took for. And this was Alice Wilson's second wooing. Mr. Openshaw's will was too strong, and his circumstances too good for him not to carry all before him. He settled Mrs. Wilson in a comfortable house of her own, and made her

quite independent of lodgers. The little that Alice said with regard to future plans was on Nora's behalf. No, said Miss. Mr. Openshaw. Nora shall take care of the old lady as long as she lives, and after that she shall either come and live with us, or if she likes it better, she shall have a provision for life.

For your sake, Mrs. No one who has been good to you or the child shall go unrewarded. But even the little one will be better for some fresh stuff about her. Get her a bright, sensible girl as an nurse, one who won't go rubbing her with calves foot jelly as Nora does. wasting good stuff outside that ought to go in but will follow doctors directions which as you must see pretty clearly by this time nora won't because they give the poor little wench pain now i'm not above being nesh for other folks myself i can stand a good blow and never change colour but set me in the operating-room in the infirmary and i turn as sick as a girl yet if need were i would hold the little wench on my knees while she screeched with pain if it were to do her poor back good nay nay wench keep your white looks for the time when it comes i don't say it ever will but this i know

norah will spare the child and cheat the doctor if she can now i say give the ban a year or two's chance and then when the pack of doctors have done their best and maybe the old lady has gone will have nora back or do better for her the pack of doctors could do no good to little elsie she was beyond their power but her father for so he insisted on being called and also on alice's no good to little elsie she was beyond their power but her father for so he insisted on being called and also on alice's longer retaining the appellation of Mama, but becoming henceforward Mother. By his healthy cheerfulness of manner, his clear decision of purpose, his odd turns and quirks of humour, added to his real, strong love for the helpless little girl, infused a new element of brightness and confidence into her life. And though her back remained the same, her general health was strengthened, and Alice, never going beyond a smile herself, had the pleasure of seeing her child taught to laugh. As for Alice's own life, it was happier than it had ever been. Mr.

Openshaw required no demonstration, no expressions of affection from her. Indeed, these would rather have disgusted him. Alice could love deeply, but could not talk about it. the perpetual requirement of loving words looks and caresses and misconstruing their absence into absence of love had been the great trial of her former married life now all went on clear and straight under the guidance of her husband's strong sense warm heart and powerful will year by year their worldly prosperity increased at mrs wilson's death nora came back to them as nurse to the newly-born little edwin into which post she was not installed without a pretty strong oration on the part of the proud and happy father who declared that if he found out that nora ever tried to screen the boy by a falsehood or to make him nesh either in body or mind she should go that very day norah and mr openshaw were not on the most thoroughly cordial terms neither of them fully recognising or appreciating the others best qualities this was the previous history of the lancashire family who had now removed to london and had come to occupy the house end of the first part of chapter two recording by ruth goulding the second part of chapter two of a house to london

This Librivox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Ruth Golding. A house to let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor. The second part of Chapter 2, The Manchester Marriage. They had been there about a year when Mr. Opensure suddenly informed his wife that he had determined to heal long-standing. feuds and had asked his uncle and aunt Chadwick to come and pay them a visit and see London. Mrs. Openshaw had never seen this uncle and aunt of her husbands. Years before she had married him, there had been a quarrel. All she knew was that Mr. Chadwick was a small manufacturer in a

country town in South Lancashire. She was extremely pleased that the breach was to be healed and began making preparations to render their visit pleasant. They arrived at last. Going to see London was such an event to them that Mrs. Chadwick had made all new linen fresh for the occasion from nightcaps downwards, and as for gowns, ribbons and collars, she might have been going into the wilds of Canada whenever a shop is so large was her stock. A fortnight before the day of her departure for London, she had formerly called to take leave of all her acquaintance, saying she should need all the intermediate time for packing up. It was like a second wedding in her imagination. And to complete the resemblance which an entirely new wardrobe made between the two events, her husband brought her back from Manchester on the last market day before they set off, a gauder.

pearl and arrethist brooch, saying, "'Lunan should see the Lancashire folks knew a handsome thing when they saw it.' For some time after Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick arrived at the open shores, there was no opportunity for wearing this brooch, but at length they obtained an order to see Buckingham Palace, and the spirit of loyalty demanded that Mrs. Chadwick should wear her best clothes in visiting the abode of her sovereign. On her return she hastily changed her dress, for Mr. Openshaw had planned that they should go to Richmond, drink tea, and return by moonlight.

Accordingly, about five o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw and Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick set off. The housemaid and cook sat below. Nora hardly knew where. She was always engrossed in the nursery, intending her two children, and in sitting by the restless, excitable ailsy till she fell asleep. By and by, the housemaid Bessie tapped gently at the door. Nora went to her, and they spoke in whispers. Nurse, there's someone downstairs, wants you? Once, mate. Who is it?

A gentleman. A gentleman, nonsense. Well, a man then. And he asked for you. And he rung at the front door. "'all Bellan has walked into the dining-room.' "'You should never have let him,' exclaimed Nora, "'master and Mrs. Out.'

"'I did not want him to come in, "'but when he heard you lived here, "'he walked past me, "'and sat down on the first chair "'and said, tell her to come and speak to me. "'There is no gas-lighted in the room, "'and supper is all set out.' "'You'll be off with the spoons,' exclaimed Nora,

"'putting the housemaid's fear into words, and preparing to leave the room, first, however, giving a look to Ailesie, sleeping soundly and calmly. Downstairs she went, uneasy fears stirring in her bosom. Before she entered the dining-room, she provided herself with a candle,

and with it in her hand, she went in, looking round her in the darkness for her visitor. He was standing up, holding by the table. Nora and he were, He looked at each other, gradual recognition coming into their eyes. Nora?

At length, he asked. Who are you? asked Nora, with the sharp tones of alarm and incredulity. I don't know you, trying by futile words of disbelief to do away with the terrible fact before her. Am I so changed? he said, pathetically. I dare say I am. "'But Nora tell me.' "'He breathed hard. "'Where is my wife? Is she—is she alive?'

He came nearer to Nora, and would have taken her hand, but she backed away from him, looking at him all the time with staring eyes, as if he were some horrible object. Yet he was a handsome, bronzed, good-looking fellow, with beard and moustache, giving him a foreign, looking aspect, but his eyes. There was no mistaking those eager, beautiful eyes. The very same that Nora had watched not half an hour ago, till sleep stole softly over them.

Tell me, Nora, I can bear it. I have feared it so often. Is she dead? Nora still kept silence. "'She is dead.' He hung on Nora's words and looks, as if for confirmation or contradiction. "'What shall I do?' groaned Nora. "'Oh, sir, why did you come? How did you find me out? "'Where have you been? We thought you dead. We did indeed.' She poured out words and questions to gain time, as if time would help her.

"'Nora, answer me this question, straight by yes or no, is my wife dead?' "'No, she is not,' said Nora slowly and heavily. "'Oh, what a relief! Did she receive my letters? But perhaps you don't know. Why did you leave her? Where is she? Oh, Nora, tell me all quickly.' "'Mr. Frank,' said Nora at all. lost, almost driven to bay by her terror, lest her mistress should return at any moment and find him there, unable to consider what was best to be done or said, rushing at something decisive, because she could not endure her present state. "'Mr. Frank, we never heard a line from you, and the ship-owner said you'd gone down, you and

everyone else. We thought you were dead, if ever man was, and poor Miss Alice and her little sick, helpless child? Or sir, you must guess it, cried the poor creature at last, bursting out into a passionate fit of crying. For indeed I cannot tell it, but it was no one's fault. God help us all this night. Nora had sat down. She trembled too much to stand. He took her hands in his. He squeezed them hard, as if by physical pressure the truth could be wrung out. Nora! This time his tone was calm, stagnant as despair. She has married again.

Nora shook her head, sadly. The grasp slowly relaxed. The man had fainted. There was brandy in the room. Nora forced some drops into Mr. Frank's mouth. chafed his hands, and, when mere animal life returned, before the mind poured in its flood of memories and thoughts, she lifted him up, and rested his head against her knees. Then she put a few crumbs of bread taken from the supper-table, soaked in brandy, into his mouth.

Suddenly he sprang to his feet. "'Where is she? Tell me this instant.' He looked so wild, so much. so desperate that Nora felt herself to be in bodily danger, but her time of dread had gone by. She had been afraid to tell him the truth, and then she had been a coward. Now her wits were sharpened by the sense of his desperate state. He must leave the house. She would pity him afterwards, but now she must rather command and upbraid, for he must leave the house before her mistress came home, that one necessity stood clear before her.

"'She is not here. That is enough for you to know. Nor can I say exactly where she is, which was true to the letter, if not to the spirit. Go away and tell me where to find you to-morrow, and I will tell you all. My master and mistress may come back at any minute, and then what would become of me with a strange man in the house?' Such an argument was too petty to touch his excited mind. "'I don't care for your master and mistress. If your master is a man, he must feel for me, poor shipwrecked sailor that I am, kept for years of prisoner amongst savages,

always, always, always, always thinking of my wife and my home, dreaming of her by night, talking to her, though she could not hear by a day. I loved her more than all heaven and earth put together. Tell me where she is, this instant, you wretched woman, who solved over her wickedness to her, as you do to me. The clock struck ten. Desperate positions required desperate measures.

If you will leave the house now, I will come to you tomorrow and tell you all. What is more you shall see you? child now. She lies sleeping upstairs. Oh, sir, you have a child, you do not know that as yet, a little weekly girl, with just a heart and soul beyond her years. We have reared her up with such care. We watched her, for we thought for many a year she might die any day, and we tended her, and no hard thing has come near her, and no rough world. And no rough world. has ever been said to her.

And now you come and will take her life into your hand and will crush it. Strangers to her have been kind to her, but her own father. Mr. Frank, I am her nurse and I love her and I tend her, and I would do anything for her that I could. Her mother's heart beats as hers beats, and if she suffers a pain her mother trembles all. over. If she is happy, it is her mother that smiles and is glad. If she is growing stronger, her mother is healthy. If she dwindles, her mother languishes. If she dies, well, I don't know. It is not everyone can lie down and die when they wish it. Come upstairs, Mr. Frank, and see your child.

Seeing her will do good to your poor heart. Then go away in God's name, just this one night. Tomorrow, if need be, you can do anything. Kill us all, if you will. Or show yourself a great, grand man, whom God will bless forever and ever. Come, Mr. Frank, the look of a sleeping child is sure to give peace. She led him upstairs, at first almost helping his steps, till they came near the nursery door.

She had almost forgotten the existence of little Edwin. It struck upon her with a fright as the shaded light fell upon the other cot, but she skilfully threw that corner of the room into darkness, and let the light fall on the sleeping ailsy. The child had thrown down the coverings, and heard if, her formity as she lay with her back to them was plainly visible through her slight nightgown. Her little face, deprived of the luster of her eyes, looked wan and pinched, and had a pathetic expression in it, even as she slept. The poor father looked and looked with hungry, wistful eyes, into which the big tears came swelling up slowly,

and dropped heavily down as he stood trembling and shaking all over. Nora was angry with herself for growing impatient of the length of time that long-lingering gaze lasted. She thought that she waited for full half an hour before Frank stirred. And then, instead of going away, he sank down on his knees by the bedside and buried his face in the clothes. Little Alesy stirred uneasily.

Nora pulled him up in terror. She could afford no more time, even for prayer in her extremity of fear, for surely the next moment would bring her mistress home. She took him forcibly by the arm, but as he was going, his eye lighted on the other bed. He stopped. Intelligence came back into,

his face. His hands clenched. His child, he asked. Her child, replied Nora. God watches over him, said she instinctively, for Frank's looks excited her fears, and she needed to remind herself of the protector of the helpless. God has not watched over me, he said in despair. His thoughts apparently

recoiling on his own desolate, deserted state. But Nora had no time for pity. Tomorrow she would be as compassionate as her heart prompted. At length she guided him downstairs, and shut the outer door and bolted it, as if by bolts to keep out facts. Then she went back into the dining-room and defaced all traces of his presence as far as she could.

she went upstairs to the nursery and sat there her head on her hand thinking what was to come of all this misery it seemed to her very long before they did return yet it was hardly eleven o'clock she so heard the loud hearty lancashire voices on the stairs and for the first time she understood the contrast of the desolation of the poor man who had so lately gone forth in lonely spare. It almost put her out of patience to see Mrs. Openshaw come in, calmly smiling, handsomely dressed, happy, easy, to inquire after her children. Did Elsie go to sleep comfortably? she whispered to Nora. Yes. Her mother bent over her, looking at her slumbers with the soft eyes of love. How little she dreamed who had looked on her last. Then she went to Edwin, with perhaps less wistful anxiety in her countenance, but more of pride.

She took off her things to go down to supper. Nora saw her no more that night. Beside the door into the passage, the sleeping nursery opened out of Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw's room, in order that they might have the children more immediately under their own eyes. Early the next summer morning, Mrs. Openshaw was awakened by Ailsie's startled call of, Mother! Mother! She sprang up, put on her dressing-gown, and went to her child. Ailsie was only half awake, and in a not uncommon state of terror. Who was he, Mother? Tell me!

Oh, my darling! No one is here? You have been dreaming, love. Waken up quite. See it has brought daylight. Yes, said Ailesie, looking round her, then clinging to her mother, said, "'But a man was here in the night, mother!' "'Nonsense, little goose. No man has ever come near you.' "'Yes, he did. He stood there just by Nora. A man with hair and a beard, and he knelt down and said his frass. Nora knows he was here, Mother!'

Half angrily, as Mrs. Openshaw shook her head in smiling incredulity. "'Well, we will ask Norse. when she comes, said Mrs. Openshaw soothingly. But we won't talk any more about him now. It is not five o'clock. It is too early for you to get up. Shall I fetch you a book and read to you? Don't leave me, mother, said the child, clinging to her. So Mrs. Openshaw sat on the bedside, talking to Elsie,

and telling her of what they had done at Richmond the evening before, until the little girl's eyes slowly closed and she once more fell asleep. What was the matter? asked Mr. Openshaw, as his wife returned to bed. Elsie wakened up in a fright with some story of a man having been in the room to say his prayers. A dream, I suppose. And no more was said at the time. Mrs. Openshaw had almost forgotten the whole affair when she got up about seven o'clock. But by and by, she heard a sharp altercation going on in the nursery. Nora is speaking angrily to Elsie, a most unusual thing.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw listened in astonishment. Hold your tongue, Elsie. Let me hear none of your dreams. Never let me hear you tell that story again. Elsie began to cry. Mr. Openshaw opened the door of communication before his wife could say a word. "'Nora, come here.' The nurse stood at the door, defiant. She perceived she had been heard, but she was desperate.

"'Don't let me hear you speak in that manner to Aal Z again,' he said sternly, and shut the door. Nora was infinitely relieved, for she had dreaded some questioning, and a little blame for sharp speaking was what she could well bear, if cross-examination was let alone. Downstairs they went, Mr. Opensure carrying Ailsie, the sturdy Edwin coming step by step, right foot foremost, always holding his mother's hand. Each child was placed in a chair by the breakfast table,

and then Mr. and Mrs. Openshaw stood together at the window, awaiting their visitor's appearance, and making plans for the day. There was a pause. suddenly mr openshaw turned to alesey and said what a little goosey somebody is with her dreams waken up poor tired mother in the middle of the night with a story of a man being in the room father i'm sure i saw him said alesey half crying i don't want to make nora angry but i was not asleep for all she says i was i had to be asleep and i wakened up quite wide awake though i was surprised i kept my eyes nearly shut and i saw the man quite plain a great brown man with a beard he said his prayers and then he looked at edwin and then nora took him by the arm and let him away after they had whispered a bit together now my little woman must be reasonable said mr openshaw who was always patient with ailsie there was no man in the house last night at all no man comes into the house as you know if you think much less goes up into the nursery but sometimes with dream something has happened and the dream is so like reality that you are not the first person little woman who has stood out that the thing has really happened

but indeed it was not a dream said elsie beginning to cry just then mr and mrs chadwick came down looking grave and discomposed all during breakfast time they were silent and uncomfortable. As soon as the breakfast things were taken away, and the children had been carried upstairs, Mr. Chadwick began, in an evidently preconcerted manner, to inquire if his nephew was certain that all his servants were honest, for that Mrs. Chadwick had that morning missed a very valuable brooch, which she had worn the day before. She remembered taking it off when she came home from Buckingham Palace. Mr. Openshaw's face contracted into hard lines, grew like what it was before he had known his wife and her child.

He rang the bell even before his uncle had done speaking. It was answered by the housemaid. Mary, was anyone here last night while we were away? A man, sir, came to speak to Nora? To speak to Nora. Who was he? How long did he stay? i'm sure i can't tell sir he came perhaps nine i went up to tell nora in the nursery and she came down to speak to him she let him out sir she will know who he was and how long he stayed she waited a moment to be asked any more questions but she was not so she went away a minute afterwards openshaw maid as though he were going out of the room but his wife laid her hand on his arm

do not speak to her before the children she said in her low quiet voice i will go up and question her no i must speak to her you must know said he turning to his uncle and aunt my mrs has an old servant as faithful as ever woman was i do believe as far as love goes but at the same time who does not always speak truth as even the missis must allow now my notion is that this nora of ours has been come over by some good-for-nothing chap for she's at the time of life when they say women brave our husbands any good lord any and has let him into our house and the chap has made off with your brooch and may happen many another thing beside it's only saying that nora is soft-hearted and does not stick at a white lie that's all mrs it was curious to notice how his tone his eyes his whole face changed as he spoke to his wife but he was the resolute man through all she knew better than to oppose him so she went upstairs and told nora her master wanted to speak to her and that she would take care of the children in the meanwhile nora rose to go without a word her thoughts were these if they tear me to pieces they shall never know through me he may come and then just lord have mercy upon us all for some of us are dead folk to a certainty but he shall do it not me you may fancy now her look of determination as she faced her master alone in the dining-room mr and mrs chadwick having left the affair in their nephew's hands seeing that he took it up with such vehemence

"'Mora, who was that man that came to my house last night?' "'Mond, sir?' "'As if infinitely surprised, but it was only to gain time.' "'Yes, the man whom Mary let in, whom she went upstairs to the nursery to tell you about, whom you came down to speak to, the same chap I make no doubt, whom you took into the nursery to have your talk out with, whom else he saw and afterwards dreamed about thinking poor wench she saw him say his prayers where nothing i'll be bound was farther from his thoughts who took mrs chadwick's brooch valued ten pounds now norah don't go off i'm as sure as that my name's thomas openshaw that you knew nothing of this robbery but i do think you've been imposed on and that's the truth some good for nothing

"'thing chap has been making up to you, "'and you've been just like all other women, "'and have turned a soft place in your heart to him. "'And he came last night to a love-your ring, "'and you add him up in the nursery, "'and he made use of his opportunities, "'and made off with a few things on his way down. "'Come now, Nora, it's no blame to you,

"'only you must not be such a fool again. "'Tell us,' he continued, "'what name he gave you, Nora. "'I'll be bound it was not the wrong. right one, but it will be a clue for the police. Nora drew herself up. You may ask that question, and taunt me with me being single and with my credulity, as you will, Master Openshaw, you'll get no answer from me.

As for the brooch, and the story of theft and burglary, if any friend ever came to see me, which I defy you to prove, and deny, "'It'd be just as much above doing such a thing as you yourself, Mr. Openshaw, and more so, too, "'for I'm not at all sure as everything you have is rightly come by, or would be yours long if every man at his own.' "'She meant, of course, his wife, but he understood her to refer to his property in goods and chattels.' "'Now, my good woman,' said he, "'I'll just tell you truly. I never trusted you out of her. out, but my wife liked you, and I thought you had many a good point about you.

If you once begin to source me, I'll have the police to you, and get out the truth in a court of justice, if you're not telling me quietly and civilly here. Now the best thing you can do is quietly to tell me who the fellow is. Look here, a man comes to my house, asks for you, you take him upstairs, a valuable brooch she's missing next day. We know that you and Mary and Cook are honest, but you refuse to tell us who the man is. Indeed, you've told one lie already about him, saying no one was here last night.

Now, I'd just put it to you. What do you think a policeman would say to this, or a magistrate? A magistrate would soon make you tell the truth, my good woman. "'There's never the creature born that should get it out of me,' said Nora, "'not unless I choose to tell.' "'I've a great mind to see,' said Mr. Openshaw, growing angry at the defiance. Then checking himself, he thought before he spoke again. "'Nora, for your misses's sake, I don't want to go to extremities.

Be a sensible woman if you can. it's no great disgrace after all to have been taken in. I ask you once more as a friend, who was this man whom you let into my house last night? No answer. He repeated the question in an impatient tone. Still no answer. Nora's lips were set in determination not to speak.

Then there is but one thing, "'to be done. I shall send for a policeman.' "'You will not,' said Nora, starting forwards. "'You shall not, sir. No policeman shall touch me. "'I know nothing of the brooch, but I know this. "'Ever since I was four and twenty, I have thought more of your wife than of myself. "'Ever since I saw her. "'A poor, mausiless girl put upon in her uncle's house,

"'I have thought more of serving her than of serving myself. "'I have cared for her, and her child as nobody ever. ever cared for me. I don't cast blame on you, sir, but I still say it's still giving up one's life to anyone, for at the end they will turn round upon you and forsake you. Why does not my missus come herself to suspect me? Maybe she is gone for the police. But I don't stay here, either for police or magistrate or master. You're an unlucky lot. I believe there's a curse on you. I'll leave you this very day. Yes, I'll leave that poor "'I'll see too, I will. No good will ever come to you.'

Mr. Openshaw was utterly astonished at this speech, most of which was completely unintelligible to him, as may easily be supposed. Before he could make up his mind what to say or what to do, Nora had left the room. "'I do not think he had ever really intended to send for the police to this old servant of his wife's, for he had never for a moment doubted her perfect honesty, but he had intended to compel her to tell him who the man was, and in this he was baffled. He was consequently much irritated.

He returned to his uncle and aunt, in a state of great annoyance and perplexity, and told them he could get nothing out of the woman, that some man had been in the house the night before, but that she refused to tell who he was. At this moment his wife came in, greatly agitated, and asked what had happened to Nora, for that she had put on her things in passionate haste, and had left the house. "'This looks suspicious,' said Mr. Chadwick.

"'It's not the way in which an honest person would have acted.' Mr. Opensure kept silence. He was sorely perplexed. But Mrs. Openshaw turned round on Mr. Chadwick, with a sudden fierceness no one ever saw in her before. "'You don't know, Nora, Uncle. She is gone because she is deeply hurt at being suspected. Oh, I wish I had seen her, that I had spoken to her myself. She would have told me anything.'

Alice wrung her hands. "'I must confess,' continued Mr. Chadwick to his nephew in a lower voice. "'I can't make you out. You used to be a word and a blow, and oftenest the blow first, and now when there is every cause for suspicion you just do not out your mrs is a very good woman i grant but she may have been put upon as well as other folk i suppose if you don't send for the police i shall very well replied mr openshaw sir lily i can't clear norah she won't clear herself as i believe she might if she would only i wash my hands of it for i am sure the woman herself is honest and she's lived a long time with my wife and i don't like her to come to shame but she will then be forced to clear herself that at any rate will be a good thing very well very well i am hard to come to shame but she will then be forced to clear herself that at any rate will be a good thing very well very well i am hard "'heart-sick of the whole business.

"'Come, Alice, come up to the babies, "'they'll be in a sore way.' "'I'd tell you, uncle,' he said, "'turning round once more to Mr. Chadwick, "'sudently and sharply, "'after his eye had fallen on Alice's one tearful, anxious face. "'I'll have none sending for the police after all. "'Albama aunt, twice as handsome abroad this very day,

"'but I'll not have Nora suspected, "'and my missus plagued. "'There's for you.' He and his wife left the room. Mr. Chadwick quietly waited till he was out of hearing, and then said to his wife, "'For all Tom's heroics, I'm just quietly going for a detective, wench. Thou need's no doubt about it.'

He went to the police station, and made a statement of the case. He was gratified by the impression which the evidence against Nora seemed to make. The men all agreed in his, opinion, and steps were to be immediately taken to find out where she was. Most probably, as they suggested, she had gone at once to the man, who, to all appearance, was her lover. When Mr. Chadwick asked how they would find her out, they smiled, shook their heads, and spoke of mysterious but infallible ways and memes. He returned to his nephew's house, with a very comfortable opinion of his own sagacity.

He was met by his wife with a penitent face. Oh, Master, I found my brooch. It was just sticking by its pin in the flounce of my brown silk that I wore yesterday. I took it off in a hurry and it must have caught in it, and I hung up my gown in the closet. Just now, when I was going to fold it up, there was the brooch.

I'm very vexed, but I never dreamt at what it was. lost. Her husband, muttering something very like, Confound thee and I brooch to! I wish I'd never given it, they! Snatched up his hat and rushed back to the station, hoping to be in time to stop the police from searching for Nora. But a detective was already gone off on the errand. Where was Nora? Half mad with the strain of the fearful secret, she had hardly slept through the night for thinking what must be done. Upon this terrible state of mind had come Ailesie's

questions, showing that she had seen the man, as the unconscious child called her father. Lastly, came the suspicion of her honesty. She was little less than crazy as she ran upstairs and dashed on her bonnet and shawl, leaving all else, even her purse behind her. In that house, she would not stay. That was all she knew or was clear about. She would not even see the children again, for fear it should weaken her. She feared above everything

Mr Frank's return to claim his wife. She could not tell what remedy there was for a sorrow so tremendous for her to stay to witness. The desire of escaping from the coming event was a stronger motive for her departure than her soreness about the suspicions directed against her, although this last had been the final goad to the course she took. She walked away almost at headlong speed, sobbing as she went,

as she had not dared to do during the past night, for fear of exciting wonder in those who might hear her. Then she stopped. An idea came into her mind that she would leave London, together and betake herself to her native town of liverpool she felt in her pocket for her purse as she drew near the euston square station with this intention she had left it at home her poor head aching her eyes swollen with crying she had to stand still and think as well as she could where next she should bend her steps suddenly the thought flashed into her mind that she would go and find out poor mr frank she had been hardly kind to him the night before though her heart had bled for him ever since she remembered his telling her as she inquired for his address almost as she had pushed him out of the door of some hotel in a street not far distant from euston square

thither she went with what intention she hardly knew but to assuage her conscience by telling him how much she pitied him in her present state she felt herself unfit to counsel or restrain or assist or do what else but sympathise and weep the people of the inn said such a person had been there had arrived only the day before had gone out soon after his arrival leaving his luggage in their care but had never come back nora asked for leave to sit down and await the gentleman's return the landlady pretty secure in the deposit of luggage against any probable injury showed her into a room and quietly locked the door on the outside Nora was utterly worn out and fell asleep, a shivering, starting, uneasy slumber which lasted for hours. The detective, meanwhile, had come up with her some time before she entered the hotel, into which he followed her. Asking the landlady to detain her for an hour or so, without giving any reason beyond showing his authority, which made the landlady applaud herself a good deal for having locked her in. he went back to the police station to report his proceedings he could have taken her directly but his object was if possible to trace out the man who was supposed to have committed the robbery

then he heard of the discovery of the brooch and consequently did not care to return norah slept till even the summer evening began to close in then up some one was at the door it would be mr frank and she dizzily pushed back to close in then up some one was at the door it would be mr frank and she dizzily pushed back her ruffled grey hair which had fallen over her eyes and stood looking to see him instead there came in mr openshaw and a policeman this is nora kennedy said mr openshaw oh sir said nora said nora i did not touch the brooch indeed i did not oh sir i cannot live to be thought so badly of and very sick and faint she suddenly sang down on the ground. To her surprise, Mr. Openshaw raised her up very tenderly. Even the policeman helped to lay her on the sofa, and at Mr. Openshaw's desire he went for some wine and sandwiches, for the poor, gaunt woman lay there almost as if dead with weariness and exhaustion. "'Nora,' said Mr. Openshaw in his kindest voice, The brooch is found. It was hanging to Mrs. Chadwick's gown. I beg your pardon. Most truly I beg your pardon for having troubled you about it. My wife is almost broken-hearted. Eat, Nora. Or stay first drink this glass of wine, said he, lifting her head, pouring a little down her throat. As she drank, she remembered where she was and who she was waiting for. She suddenly pushed me. Mr. Openshaw away, saying,

Oh, sir, you must go. You must not stop a minute. If he comes back, he will kill you. Alas, Nora, I do not know who he is. But someone is gone away who will never come back, someone who knew you, and whom I'm afraid you cared for. I don't understand you, sir, said Nora, her master's kind and sorrowful manner bewildering her yet more than his words. The policeman had left the room at Mr. Open Shores' desire, and they too were alone.

You know what I mean, when I say someone is gone who will never come back. I mean that he is dead. Who, said Nora, trembling all over. A poor man has been found in the Thames this morning, drowned. Did he drown himself? asked Nora solemnly. "'God only knows,' replied Mr. Openshaw in the same tone. "'Your name and address at our house were found in his pocket. That and his purse were the only things that were found upon him.

I am sorry to say it, my poor Nora, but you are required to go and identify him.' "'To what?' asked Nora. "'To say who it is. It is always done, in order that some reason may be. be discovered for the suicide, if suicide it was. I make no doubt he was the man who came to see you at our house last night. It is very sad, I know.' He made pauses between each little claws, in order to try and bring back her senses, which he feared were wandering, so wild and sad was her look.

"'Master, Ophonseau,' said she at last, "'I've a dreadful sick.' "'Critter tell you. Only you must never breathe it to anyone, "'and you and I must hide it away forever. "'I thought to have done it all by myself, but I see I cannot. "'Yon poor man, yes, the dead-drawn creature, "'is, I fear, Mr. Frank, my mistress's first husband.' "'Mr. Opensure sat down as if shot. He did not speak, but after a while he signed to Nora to go on.

He came to me the other night when, God be thanked, you were all away at Richmond. He asked me if his wife was dead or alive. I was a brute, and thought more of our all coming home than of his sore trial, spoke out sharp, and said she was married again, and very content and happy. I all but turned him away, and now he lies dead and cold. God forgive me, said Mr. Openshaw. God forgive us all, said Nora. Young poor man needs forgiveness, perhaps less than anyone among us.

He had been among the savages shipwrecked, I know not what, and he had written letters which had never reached my poor missus. He saw his child? He saw her, yes. i took him up to give his thoughts another start for i believed it was going mad on my hands i came to seek him here as i more than i promised my mind misgave me when i heard he had never come in oh sir it must be him mr openshaw rang the bell norah was almost too much stunned to wonder at what he did he asked for writing material he asked for writing material wrote a letter, and then said to Nora, I am writing to Alice to say I shall be unavoidably absent for a few days,

that I have found you, that you are well, and send her your love, and will come home tomorrow. You must go with me to the police court. You must identify the body. I will pay high to keep name and details out of the papers. But where are you going, sir? He did not answer her directly. Then he said, Nora, I must go with you and look on the face of the man whom I have so injured. Unwittingly, it is true. But it seems to me as if I had killed him. I will lay his head in the grave as if he were my only brother, and how he must have hated me.

I cannot go home to my wife till all that I can do for him is done. Then I go with a dreadful secret. it on my mind. I shall never speak of it again after these days are over. I know you will not, either.' He shook hands with her, and they never named the subject again, the one to the other. Nora went home to Alice the next day. Not a word was said on the cause of her abrupt departure a day or two before. Alice had been charged by her husband in his letter not to allude to the supposed theft of the brooch, so she, implicitly obedient to those whom she loved, both by nature and habit, was entirely silent on the subject, only treated Nora with the most tender respect, as if to make up for unjust suspicion. Nor did Alice inquire into the reason why Mr. Openshaw had been absent during his unclean,

uncle and aunt's visit, after he had once said that it was unavoidable. He came back, grave and quiet, and from that time forth was curiously changed, more thoughtful, and perhaps less active, quite as decided in conduct, but with new and different rules for the guidance of that conduct. Towards Alice, he could hardly be more kind than he had always been, but he now seemed to look upon her as someone sacred and to be treated with reverence as well as tenderness. He throve in business and made a large fortune, one half of which was settled upon her. Long years after these events, a few months after her mother died, Alesey and her father, as she always called Mr. Openshaw, drove to a cemetery a little

little way out of town, and she was carried to a certain mound by her maid, who was then sent back to the carriage. There was a headstone, with F.W. and a date. That was all. Sitting by the grave, Mr. Openshaw told her the story, and for the sad fate of that poor father whom she had never seen, he shed the only tears she ever saw fall from his eyes. "'A most interesting story all through,' I said, as Jarba folded up the first of his series of discoveries in triumph. "'A story that goes straight to the heart, especially at the end. But I stopped and looked at Trottle.

Trottle entered his protest directly in the shape of a cough. "'Well?' I said, beginning to lose my patience. "'Don't you see that I want you to speak, "'and that I don't want you to cough?' "'Quite so, ma'am,' said Trottle, "'in a state of respectful obstinacy, "'which would have upset the temper of a saint. "'Relative, I presume, to this story, ma'am.'

"'Yes, yes,' said Jabba. "'By all means, let us hear what this good man has to say.' "'Well, says, "'we'll see.' "'Sir?' answered Trottle. "'I want to know why the house over the way doesn't let, "'and I don't exactly see how your story answers the question. "'That's all I have to say, sir.' "'I should have liked to contradict my opinionated servant at that moment,

"'but, excellent as the story was in itself, "'I felt that he had hit on the weak, point, so far as Jarba's particular purpose in reading it was concerned. "'And that is what you have to say, is it?' repeated Jarba. "'I enter this room, announcing that I have a series of discoveries, and you jump instantly to the conclusion that the first of the series exhausts my resources. Have I your permission, dear lady, to enlighten you. this obtuse person, if possible, by reading number two?

My work is behind-hand, ma'am, said Trotl, moving to the door, the moment I gave Jabber leave to go on. "'Stop where you are,' I said in my most peremptory manner, and give Mr. Jarba his fair opportunity of answering your objection. Now you have made it.' Trottles sat down with the look of a martyr, and Jabber began to read, with his back turned on the enemy more decidedly than ever. End of Chapter 2, recording by Ruth Golding.

Chapter 3 of a house to let. This Librivox recording is in the public domain, recording by Ruth Golding. A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor Chapter 3 Going Into Society At one period of its reverses the house fell into the occupation of a showman. He was found registered as its occupier on the parish books of the time when he rented the house, and there was therefore no need of any clue to his name.

But he himself was less easy to be found, for he had led a wandering life, and settled people had lost sight of him, and people who plumed themselves on being respectable were shy of admitting that they had ever known anything of him. At last, among the marshlands near the rivers level that lie about Deptford and the neighbouring market gardens, a grizzled personage in velveteen, with a face so cut up by varieties of weather

that he looked as if he had been tattooed, was found smoking a pipe at the door of a wooden house on wheel. The wooden house was laid up in ordinary for the winter, near the mouth of a muddy creek, and everything near it, the foggy river, the misty marshes, and the steaming market gardens, smoked in company with the grizzled man. In the midst of this smoking party, the funnel chimney of the wooden house on wheels was not remiss, but took its pipe with the rest, in a companionable manner. On being asked if it were he who had once rented the house to let,

grizzled velvetine looked surprised and said, Yes, then his name was Magsman. That was it, Toby Magsman, which lawfully christened Robert, but called in the line from her infant, Toby. There was nothing again Toby Magsman, he believed, if there was suspicion of such, mention it. There was no suspicion of such, he might rest assured, but some inquiries were making about that house, and would he object to say why he left it? Not at all, why should he? He left it along of a dwarf.

Along of a dwarf? Mr. Magsman repeated deliberately and emphatically, along of a dwarf. Might it be compatible with Mr Magsman's inclination and convenience To enter as a favour into a few particulars? Mr Magsman entered into the following particulars. It was a long time ago to begin with A four lotteries and a deal more was done away with Mr Magsman was looking about for a good pitch

And he see that house And he says to himself, I'll have you, if you ought to be add. If money'll get you, I'll have you. The neighbours cut up rough and made complaints, but Mr Magsman don't know what they would have had. It was a lovely thing. First of all, there was the canvas

representing a picture of the giant in Spanish trunks and a ruff, who was himself half the height of the house and was run up with a line and pulley to a pole on the roof, so that his head was co-evil with the parapet. Then there was the canvas, representing the picture of the albina lady, showing her white air to the army and navy in correct uniform. Then there was the canvas representing the picture of the wild Indian,

a scalping a member of some foreign nation. Then there was the canvas representing, the picture of a child of a British planter seized by two boa constrictors. Not that we never had no child nor no constrictors neither. Similarly, there was the canvas representing a picture of the wild ass of the prairies.

Not that we never had no wild asses, nor wouldn't have had them at a gift. Last, there was the canvas representing in the picture of the dwarf, and like him too, considering, with George IV in such a state of astonishment at him as his majesty couldn't with his utmost politeness and stoutness express. The front of the house was so covered with canvases

that there wasn't a spark of daylight ever visible on that side. Magsman's amusements, 15 foot long by 2 foot I ran over the front door and parlour windows The passage was a arbour of green bays and garden stuff A barrel organ performed their unceasing And as to respectability If threatens ain't respectable

What is But the dwarf is the principal article At present and he was worth the money He was wrote up as Major Tupershovsky of the Imperial Bulgarian Brigade. Nobody couldn't pronounce the name, and it never was intended anybody should. The public always turned it as a regular rule into Chopsky.

In the line, he was called Chops, partly on that account, and partly because his real name, if he ever had any real name, which was very dubious, was stakes. He was a uncommon small man he really was. Certainly not so small as he was made out to be, but where is your dwarf as is? He was a most uncommon small man

with a most uncommon large ed. And what he had inside that ed, nobody ever known but himself. Even supposing himself to have ever took stock, of it, which it would have been a stiff job for even him to do. The kindest little man has never grown. Spirity, but not proud. When he travelled with the spotted baby,

though he known himself to be a natural dwarf and know the baby's spots to be put upon him artificial, he nursed that baby like a mother. You never heard him give a ill name to a giant. He did allow himself to break out into strong language respecting the fat lady from Norfolk, but that was an affair of the art, and when a man's art has been trifled with by a lady, and a preference give to an Indian, he ain't master of his actions. He was always in love, of course.

Every human natural phenomenon is. And he was always in love with a large, world. woman. I never know the dwarfers could be got to love a small one, which helps to keep them the curiosities they are. One single idea he had in that aid of his, which must have meant something or it wouldn't have been there, it was always his opinion that he was entitled to property. He never would put his name to anything. He had been taught to write by the young man without arms who got his living with his toes. Quite a writing-master he was and taught scores in the line. But chops would have starved to death before he'd have gained a bit of bread

by putting his hand to a paper. This is the more curious to bear in mind because he had no property nor hope of property, except his house and a sarser. When I say his house, I mean the box, painted and got up outside like a regular six-roomer that he used to creep into with a diamond ring or quite as good to look at on his forefinger and ring a little bell out of what the public believed to be the drawing-room window. And when I say a sasser, I mean a chaney sarser,

in which he made a collection for himself at the end of every entertainment. His cue for that he took from me, Ladies and gentlemen, and the little man will now walk three times round the carerwan and retire behind the curtain. When he said anything important in private life, he mostly wound it up with this form of words, and they was generally the last thing he said to me at night before he went to bed. He had what I consider a fine mind, a poetic mind.

His ideas, respecting his property, never come upon himself, as when he sat upon a barrel organ and had the handle turned. After the vibration had run through him a little time, he would screech out, Toby, I feel my property coming, grind away. I'm counting my guineas by thousands, Toby, grind away. Toby, I shall be a man of fortune. I feel the mint are jingling in me, Toby, and I'm swelling out into the Bank of England.

Such is the influence of music on a poetic mind. Not that he was partial to any other music, but a barrel organ, on the contrary, hated it. He had a kind of an everlasting grudge against the public, which is a thing you may notice in many phenomenons that get their living out of it. What riled him most in the nature of his occupation was, that it kept him out of society.

He was continually saying, Toby, my ambition is to go into society. The curse of my position towards the public is that it keeps me out of society. This don't signify to a low beast of an Indian and form for society. This don't signify to a little beast of an Indian, he had formed for society. This don't signify to a spotted baby.

E-en't formed for society. I am. Nobody never could make out what chops done with his money. He had a good salary, down on the drum every Saturday as the day came round, besides having the run of his teeth, and he was a woodpecker to eat, but all dwarfs are. The sarser was a little income, bringing him in so many eight-ence that he'd carry him

a week together, tied up in a pocket-handkerchief. And yet he never had money. And it couldn't be the fat lady from Norfolk, as was once supposed, because it stands to reason that when you have an animosity towards an Indian, which makes you grind your teeth at him to his face, and which can hardly hold you from gusing him audible when he's going through his war dance, it stands to reason. you wouldn't, under them circumstances, deprive yourself, to support that Indian in the lap of luxury.

Most unexpected the mystery come out one day at Egham races. The public was shy of being pulled in, and Chops was ringing this little bell out of his drawing-room window and was snarling to me over his shoulder as he kneeled down with his legs out at the back door, for he couldn't be shoved into his ass without kneeling down and the premises wouldn't accommodate his legs. Was snarling, "'Here's a precious public for you. Why the devil don't they tumble up?'

When a man in a crowd holds up a carrier pigeon and cries out, "'If there's any person here has got a ticket, the lottery's just drawled, and the number as has come up for the great prize is three-seven-fourty-two. 3742 I was giving the man to the furies myself for calling off the public's attention

for the public will turn away at any time to look at anything in preference to the thing showed them and if you doubt it get them together for any individual purpose on the face of the earth and send only two people in late and see if the whole company aren't far more interested in taking particular notice of them to than of you

I say I wasn't best pleased with the man for calling out and wasn't blessing him in my own mind When I see Chops' little bell fly out of window At her old lady and he gets up and kicks his box over Exposing the whole secret And he catches hold of the calves of my legs And he says to me Carry me into the wan, Toby

And throw a pailer water over me or I'm a dead man, for I've come into my property. Twelve thousand odd hundred pound was Chops' winnings. He had bought a half ticket for the twenty-five thousand prize, and it had come up. The first use he made of his property was to offer to fight the Wild Indian for five hundred pound aside, in with a poisoned darnan needle and the Indian with a club. But the Indian being in want of backers to that amount, it went no further. Artlery'd been mad for a week, in a state of mind, in short,

in which, if I'd let him sit on the organ for only two minutes, I believe he would have bust, but we kept the organ from him. Mr. Chops come round, and behave liberal and beautiful to all. He then sent for a young man he knowed As had a wary, genteel appearance, And was a bonnet at a gaming booth Most respectable brought up Father having been imminent in the livery stable line

But unfortunate in a commercial crisis Through painting an old grey ginger bay And selling him with a pedigree And Mr Chop said to this bonnet Who said his name was Normandy Which it wasn't "'Normandy, I'm a going into society. "'Will you go with me?' says Normandy.

"'Do I understand you, Mr. Chops, "'to hint to me that the whole of the expenses of that move "'will be born by yourself?' "'Correct,' says Mr. Chops, "'and you shall have a princely allowance, too.' "'The bonnet lifted Mr. Chops upon a chair "'to shake hands with him and reply, in poetry with his eyes seemingly full of tears my boat is on the shore and my bark is on the sea and i do not ask for more but i'll go along with thee

they went into society in a she and four greys with silk jackets they took lodgings in pell-mell london and they blazed away in consequence of a note that was brought to bartle me fair in the autumn of next year by a servant most wonderful got up in milk-white cords and tops i cleaned myself and went to palmel one evening appointed the gentleman was at their wine at a dinner and mr chops's eyes was more fixed in that ed of his than i thought good for him There was three of them, in company, I mean, and I know the third well. When last met, he had on a white Roman shirt and a bishop's mitre covered with leopard skin, and played the clarionette all wrong in a band at a Wild Beast show. This gent took on not to know me, and Mr. Chops said, "'A gentleman, this is an old friend of former days.'

and Normandy looked at me through an eyeglass and said, "'Mexman, glad to see you!' "'Which I'll take my oath he wasn't.' "'Mr. Chops to get him convenient to the table "'at his chair on a throne, "'much of the form of George the Force in the canvas. "'But he hardly appeared to me to be king there in any other point of view, "'for his two gentlemen ordered about like emperors.

"'They was all dressed like ma'amers. May Day, gorgeous, and as to wine, they swam in all sorts. I made the round of the bottles first separate, to say I'd done it, and then mixed them all together, to say I'd done it, and then tried two of them as half and half, and then t'other two. All together I passed a pleasing evening, but with a tendency to feel muddled, until I considered it good manners to get up and say, Mr. Chops, the best of friends must part. I thank you for the variety of foreign drains you have stood, so, handsome.

I looks towards you in red wine, and I takes my leave. Mr. Chops, replied, If you'll just hitch me out of this over your right arm, Magsman, and carry me downstairs, I'll see you out. I said I couldn't think of such a thing, but he would have it, so I lifted him off his throne. He smelt strong of Madeirae, and I couldn't help thinking, as I'd carried him down,

that it was like carrying a large bottle full of wine, with a rather ugly stopper, a good deal out of proportion. When I set him on the doormat in the hall, he kept me close to him by holding on to my coat collar, and he whispers, "'I ain't happy, Magsman.' what's on yer mind mr chops they don't use me well they ain't grateful to me they puts me on a mantel-piece when i won't have in more champagne wine and they locks me in the sideboard when i won't give up my property get rid of em mr chops i can't we're in society together and what would society say come out of society says i'm

I can't. You don't know what you're talking about. When you have once gone into society, you mustn't come out of it. Then if you'll excuse the freedom, Mr. Chops, were my remarks shaking my head, grave. I think it's a pity you ever went in. Mr. Chops shook that deep head of his to a surprising extent, and slapped it half a dozen times with his hand and with more wice than I thought were in him. Then he says, You're a good fellow, but you don't understand. Good night, go along.

Magsman, the little man will now walk three times round a caravan and retire behind the curtain. The last I see of him on that occasion was his trying, on the extremist words of insensibility, to climb up the stairs one by one with his hands and knees. They'd have been much too steep for him if he'd been sober, but he wouldn't be helped. It won't long after that that I read in a newspaper of Mr Chops' being presented at court. It was printed,

It will be recollected, and I'd noticed in my life that it is sure to be printed that it will be recollected whenever it won't, that Mr Chops is the individual. of small stature, whose brilliant success in the last state lottery, attracted so much attention. Well, I says to myself, such is life. He has been and done it in earnest at last. He has astonished George V. On account of which I had that canvas new painted, him with a bag of money in his hand, of presenting it to George the fourth. On account of which I had that canvas new painted, in with a bag of

presenting it to George IV, and a lady in ostrich feathers, falling in love with him in a bag-wig, sword, and buckles correct. I took the house, as is the subject of present inquiries, though not the honour of being acquainted, and I run Magsman's amusements in it thirteen months, sometimes one thing, sometimes another, sometimes nothing particular, but always all the canvasses outside. One night, when we had played the last company out, which was a shy company, through its raining Evans hard, I was taking a pipe in the one pair back along with the young man with the toes, which I had taken on for a month, though he never drawed except on paper, and I heard a kicking at the street door. "'Hello,' I says to the young man, what's up?' He rubs his eyebrows with his toes, and he says,

"'I can't imagine, Mr Magsman, which he never could imagine. imagine nothing and was monotonous company. The noise not leaving off, I laid down my pipe and I took up a candle, and I went down and opened the door. I looked out into the street, but nothing could I see, and nothing was I aware of

until I turned round quick because some cretor run between me legs into the passage. There was Mr. Chops. Magsman, he says, "'Take me on the old terms and you've got me. "'If it's done, stay done.' "'I was all of amazed, but I said done, sir.' "'Done to your done and double done,' says he.

"'Have you got a bit of supper in the house?' "'Bearing in mind them sparkling varieties of foreign drains "'as we guzzled away in Palmao, "'I was ashamed to offer him cold sassages and gin and water, "'but he took them both and took them free, "'having a chair for his table, and sitting down at it on a stool like hold times. I, all of a maze all the while.

It was art that he had made a clean sweep of the sausages, beef, and to the best of my calculations, two pound and a quarter, that the wisdom as was in that little man began to come out of him like perspiration. Magsman, he says, Look upon me, you see a for you, one has both gone into society,

and come out. Oh, you are out of it, Mr. Chops. How did you get out, sir? Sold out, says he. You never saw the like of the wisdom as his Ed expressed when he made use of them two words. My friend Magsman, I'll impart to you a discovery I've made.

It's wallable. It's cost 12,000. £500. It may do you good in life. The secret of this matter is that it ain't so much that a person goes into society, as that society goes into a person. Not exactly keeping up with his meaning, I shook my head, put on a deep look, and said, You're right there, Mr. Chops. "'Magsman,' he says, twitching me by the leg,

"'society has gone into me "'to the tune of every penny of my property.' "'I felt that I went pale, "'and though naturally a bold speaker, "'I couldn't hardly say, "'Where's Normandy?' "'Bolted with the plate,' said Mr. Chops. "'And t'other one,

"'meaning him as formerly wore the bear, Bishop's miter. Bolted with the jewels, said Mr. Chops. I sat down and looked at him, and he stood up and looked at me. Magsman, he says, and he seemed to myself to get wiser as he got Orsa. Society, taking in the lump, he's all dwarfs. At the court of St James's, they was all are doing my old business, All are going three times

Around the caravan In the whole court suits and properties Elsewhere's They were most of them ringing their little bells Out of make-believes Everywhere's the sarser was a-going round Magsman The sarser is the universal institution

I perceived you understand That he was soured by his misfortunes and I felt for Mr. Chops. As to fat ladies, he says, giving his head a tremendous one against the wall, there's lots of them in society and worse than the original. Burrs was an outrage upon taste, simply an outrage upon taste, awakening contempt, carrying its own punishment in the for. of an Indian.

Here he give himself another tremendous one. But there's, Magsman, there's his mercenary outrages. Lay in cashmere shawls, buy bracelets, strew them and a lot of handsome fans and things about your rooms. Let it be known that you give away like water

to all has come to admire, and the fat ladies that don't exhibit for so much down upon the drum will come from all the points of the compass to flock about you, whatever you are. They'll drill holes in your art, Magsmen, like a calendar. And when you've no more left to give, they'll laugh at you to your face, and leave you to have your bones picked dry by waltiers, like the dead, wild ass of the prairies that you deserve to be.

here he give himself the most tremendous one of all and dropped i thought he was gone his head was so heavy and he knocked it so hard and he fell so stony and the sasagerial disturbance in him must have been so immense that i thought he was gone but he soon come round with care and he sat up on the floor and he said to me with wisdom coming out of his eyes if ever it come. Magsman, the most material difference between the two states of existence through which your unhappy friend has passed. He reached out his poor little hand, and his tears dropped down on the mustachio, which it was a credit to him to have done his best to grow, but it is not immortals to command success.

The difference this. When I was out of society, I was paid light for being seen. When I went into society, I paid heavy for being seen. I prefer the former, even if I wasn't forced upon it. Give me out through the trumpet in the holdway tomorrow. After that, he slid into the line again as easy as if he'd been isled all over. but the organ was kept from him and no allusions was ever made

when a company was in to his property he got wiser every day his views of society and the public was luminous bewildering awful and his head got bigger and bigger as his wisdom expanded it he took well and pulled him in

most excellent for nine weeks. At the expiration of that period, when his head was a sight, he expressed one evening, the last company having been turned out, and the door shut. A wish to have a little music. "'Mr. Chops,' I said, "'I never dropped the mister with him. The world might do it, but not me. "'Mr. Chops, are you sure, as you are in a state of mind, body to sit upon the organ.

His answer was this. Toby, when next met with on the tramp, I forgive her and the Indian, and I am. It was with fear and trembling that I began to turn the handle, but he sat like a lamb. It will be my belief to my dying day that I see his head

expand as he sat. You may therefore judge how great his thoughts was. He sat out all the changes, and then he come off. Toby, he says with a quiet smile, The little man will now walk three times round the caravan and retire behind the curtain. When we called him in the morning, we found him gone into a much better society than mine or Palmao. I give Mr. Chops as comfortable a funeral as lay in my power, followed myself as chief, and had the George the fourth canvas carried first in the form of a banner.

But the house was so dismal, art of woods, that I give it up, and took to the whan again. "'I don't triumph,' said Jabber, folding up the second manuscript, and looking hard at Trottle. "'I don't triumph over this worthy creature. "'I merely ask him if he is satisfied now.' "'How can he be anything else?' I said, "'answering for Trottle, who sat obstinately silent. "'This time, Jabber, you have not only read us a delightfully amusing story, "'but you have also answered the question about the house.

"'Of course it stands empty now.' "'Who would think of taking it after it had been turned into a caravan?' "'I looked at Trottle, as I said those last words, "'and Jarba waved his hand indulgently in the same direction.' "'Let this excellent person speak,' said Jabba. "'You are about to say, my good man.' "'I only wish to ask, sir,' said Trottle doggedly. "'If you would kindly oblige, obliged,

me with a date or two, in connection with that last story? A date? repeated Jabba. What does a man want with dates? I should be glad to know, with great respect, persisted Trottle, if the person named Magsman was the last tenant who lived in the house. It's my opinion, if I may be excused for giving it, that he most decidedly was not. With those words, Trotl made a low bow and quietly left the room.

There is no denying that Jarba, when we were left together, looked sadly discomposed. He had evidently forgotten to inquire about dates, and in spite of his magnificent talk about his series of discoveries, it was quite as plain that the two stories he had just read had really and truly exhausted his present stock. I thought myself bound in common gratitude to help him out of his embarrassment by a timely suggestion. So I proposed that he should come to tea again

on the next Monday evening, the 13th, and should make such inquiries in the meantime as might enable him to dispose of, dispose triumphantly of Trottle's objection. He gallantly kissed my hand, made a neat little speech of acknowledgement, and took his leave. For the rest of the week I would not encourage Trottle by allowing him to refer to the house at all. I suspected he was making his own inquiries about dates, but I put no questions to him. On Monday evening the 13th, that dear unfortunate Jarba came, punctual to the appointed time.

He looked so terribly harassed that he was really quite a spectacle of feebleness and fatigue. I saw at a glance that the question of dates had gone against him, that Mr. Magsman had not been the last tenant of the house, and that the reason of its emptiness was stupt. still to seek. What I have gone through, said Jabba, words are not eloquent enough to tell. Osofenisba, I have begun another series of discoveries.

Except the last two were stories laid on your shrine, and wait to blame me for leaving your curiosity unappeased until you have heard number three. number three looked like a very short manuscript, and I said as much. Jabber explained to me that we were to have some poetry this time. In the course of his investigations, he had stepped into the circulating library to seek for information on the one important subject. All the library people knew about the house was

that a female relative of the last tenant, as they believe, had, just after that tenant left, sent a little manuscript poem to them, which she described as referring to events that had actually passed in the house, and which she wanted the proprietor of the library to publish. She had written no address on her letter, and the proprietor had kept the manuscript, ready to be given back to her, the publishing of poems not being in his line, when she might call for it. She had never called for it, and the poem had been lent to Jarba at his express request to read to me. Before he began I rang the bell for Trotl, being determined to have him present at the new reading as a wholesome check on his obstinacy. To my surprise, Peggy answered the bell, and told me that Trottle had stepped out without saying where. I instantly felt the strongest possible conviction that he was at his old tricks, and that his stepping out in the evening without leave meant philandering.

Controlling myself on my visitor's account, I dismissed Peggy, stifled my indignation, and prepared, as politely as might be, to listen to Jarba. End of Chapter 3. Recording by Ruth Golding. Chapter 4 of a House to Lett. This Librivox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Ruth Golding. A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor. Chapter 4. Three Evenings in the House.

Number 1 Yes, it looked... Dark and dreary, that long and narrow street. Only the sound of the rain and the tramp of passing feet, the duller glow of the fire, and gathering mists of night, to mark how slow and weary the long day's cheerless flight. Watching the sullen fire, hearing the dreary rain, drop after drop run down on the darkening window-pane.

chill was the heart of bertha chill as that winter day for the star of her life had risen only to fade away the voice that had been so strong to bid the snare depart the true and earnest will and the calm and steadfast heart were now weighed down by sorrow were quivering now with pain the clear path now seemed clouded and all her grief in vain duty right truth who promised to help and save their own seemed spreading wide their pinions to leave her there alone so turning from the present to well-known days of yore she called on them to strengthen and guard her soul once more she thought how in her girlhood her life was given away the solemn promise spoken she kept so well to-day how to her brother herbert she had been help and guide and how his artist nature on her calm strength relied how through life's fret and turmoil the passion and fire of art in him was soothed and quickened by his life's fret and turmoil by his life's fret and turmoil the passion and fire of art in him was soothed and quickened by his life's threat and quickened by his by her true sister heart. How future hopes had always been for his sake alone,

and now what strange new feeling possessed her as its own? Her home, each flower that breathed there, the wind sigh soft and low, each trembling spray of ivy, the river's murmuring flow, the shadow of the forest, sunset or twilight, dim, dear as they were were dearer by leaving them for him.

And each year, as it found her in the dull, feverish town, saw self, still more forgotten, and selfish care kept down by the calm joy of evening that brought him to her side, to warn him with wise counsel, or praise with tender pride. Her heart, her life, her future, her genius, only meant another thing to give him, and be therewith content. Today what words had stirred her her soul could not forget? What dream had filled her spirit with strange and wild regret? To leave him for another, could it indeed be so? could it have cost such anguish to bid this vision go?

Was this her faith? Was Herbert the second in her heart? Did it need all this struggle to bid a dream depart? And yet, within her spirit, a far-off land was seen, a home which might have held her, a love which might have been. And life, not the mere being of daily ebb and flow, but life itself had claimed her, and she had let it go.

Within her heart there echoed again the well-known tune that promised this bright future, and asked her for its own. Then words of sorrow, broken by half-reproachful pain, And then a farewell, spoken in words of cold disdain. Where now was the stern purpose that nerved her soul so long? Whence came the words she uttered, so hard, so cold, so strong. What right had she to banish a hope that God had given? Why must she choose Earth's portion and turn aside from heaven?

Today, was it this morning, if this long, fearful strife was but the work of ours, what would be years of life? Why did a cruel heaven for such great suffering, And why, oh, still more cruel, must her own words do all? Did she repent, oh sorrow, why do we linger still to take thy loving message and do thy gentle will? See her tears fall more slowly, the passionate murmurs cease, and back upon her spirit flowed Strength and love and peace.

The fire burns more brightly. The rain has passed away. Herbert will see no shadow upon his home today. Only that Bertha greets him with doubly tender care, kissing a fonder blessing down on his golden hair. Number two. The studio is deserted, palette and brush laid by. The sketch rests on the easel, the paint is scarcely dry,

And silence, who seems always within her depths to bear the next sound that will utter, Now holds a dumb despair. So Bertha feels it, listening with breathless, stony fear, Waiting the dreadful summons each minute brings more near. When the young life, now ebbing, shall fail and pass away into that mighty shadow who shrouds the house today. But why, when the sick chamber is on the upper floor, why dares not bertha enter within the closed-shut door? If he, her all, her brother, lies dying in that gloom, what strange

mysterious power has sent her from the room? It is not one week's anguish that can have changed her so. Joy has not died here lately, struck down by one quick blow. But cruel months have needed their long, relentless chain to teach that shrinking manner of helpless, hopeless pain. The struggle was scarce over last Christmas Eve had brought. The fibres still were quivering of the one wounded thought. When Herbert, who unconscious had guessed no inward strife, bad her in pride and pleasure, welcome his fair young wife, bad her rejoice, and smiling, although his eyes were dim, thanked God he thus could pay her the care she gave to him. This fresh, bright life, would bring her a new and joyous fate. Oh, bird!

"'Euther, check the murmur that cries, "'too late, too late, too late, "'Could she have known it a few short weeks before "'that his life was completed and needing hers no more? "'She might, oh, sad, repining, what might have been forget. "'It was not should suffice us to stifle vain regret.' He needed her no longer. Each day it grew more plain,

First with a startled wonder, Then with a wondering pain. Love, why his wife best gave it. Comfort, durst Bertha speak. Council, when quick resentment flushed on the young wife's cheek. No more long talks by firelight of childish time. long past, and dreams of future greatness which he must reach at last. Dreams were her purer instinct with truth unerring told where was the worthless gilding, and where refined gold? Slowly but surely

ever, Dora's poor jealous pride which she called love for Herbert drove Bertha from his side. and spite of nervous effort to share their altered life she felt a check to Herbert, a burden to his wife. This was the least, for Bertha feared, dreaded, new at length, how much his nature owed her of truth and power and strength, and watched the daily failing of all his nobler part, low aims weak purpose telling in low, lower, weaker art. And now, when he is dying, the last words she could hear must not be hers, but given the bride of one short year. The last care is another's. The last prayer must not be the one they learned together beside their mother's knee. Summoned at last, she kisses the clay-cold's stiffening hand, and reading, pleading efforts to make her understand.

and answers with solemn promise, in clear but trembling tone, to Dora's life henceforward she will devote her own. Now all is over. Bertha dares not remain to weep, but soothes the frightened Dora into a sobbing sleep. The poor weak child will need her. Oh, who can dare complain when God sends a new duty to comfort? each new pain. Number three. The house is all deserted in the dim evening gloom. Only one figure

passes slowly from room to room, and pausing at each doorway, seems gathering up again within her heart the relics of bygone joy and pain. There is an earnest longing in those who onward gaze, looking with weary patience towards the coming days. There is a deeper longing, more sad, more strong, more keen, those know it who look backward and yearn for what has been. At every hearth she pauses, touches each well-known chair, gazes from every window, lingers on every stair. What have the heart? These months brought Bertha now one more year is past. This Christmas Eve shall tell us the third one and the last.

The willful wayward Dora in those first weeks of grief could seek and find in Bertha strength, soothing and relief. And Bertha, last sad comfort true woman-heart can take, had something still to suffer and do for Herbert's sake. Spring, with her western breezes from Indian islands, bore to Bertha news that Leonard would seek his home once more. What was it, joy or sorrow? What were they, hopes or fears,

that flushed her cheeks with crimson, and filled her eyes with tears? He came, and who so come, Kindly could ask and hear her tell Herbert's last hours, for Leonard had known and loved him well. Daily he came, and Bertha, poor weary heart at length, weighed down by others' weakness, could rest upon his strength. Yet not the voice of Leonard could her true care beguile, that turned to watch rejoicing Dora's reviving smile. So from that little household the worst gloom passed away, the one bright hour of evening lit up the livelong day. Days past, the golden summer in sudden heat bore down its blue, bright, glowing sweetness upon the scorching town,

and sights and sounds of country came in the warm, soft tune, sung by the honeyed breezes, born on the wings of June. One twilight hour, but earlier than usual, Bertha thought, she knew the fresh sweet fragrance of flowers that Leonard brought. Through opened doors and windows it stole up through the gloom, and with appealing sweetness drew Bertha from her room. yes he was there and pausing just near the opened door to check her heart's quick beating she heard and paused still more his low voice dora's answers his pleading yes she knew the tone the words the accents she once had heard them too would bertha blame her leonard's low tender answer

came, Bertha was far too noble to think or dream of blame. And was he sure he loved her? Yes, with the one love given, once in a lifetime only, with one soul and one heaven. Then came a plaintive murmur. Dora had once been told that he and Bertha, dearest, Bertha is far too cold to love. and I, my Dora, if once I fancied so, it was a brief delusion, and over long ago. Between the past and present, on that bleak moment's height, she stood, as some lost traveller by a quick flash of light, seeing a gulf before him, with dizzy, sick despair,

reels to clutch backward, but to find a deeper chasm there. The twilight grew still darker, the fragrant flowers more sweet, the stars shone out in heaven, the lamps gleamed down the street, and hours passed in dreaming over their newfound fate, ere they could think of wondering why Bertha was so late. She came, and calmly listened, In vain they strove to trace if Herbert's memory, shadowed in grief upon her face no blame no wonder showed there no feeling could be told her voice was not less steady her manner not more cold

they could not hear the anguish that broke in words of pain through that calm summer midnight my herbert mine again yes they have once been parted, but this day shall restore the long-lost one, she claims him. My Herbert, mine once more. Now Christmas Eve returning, saw Bertha stand beside the altar, greeting Dora, again a smiling bride. And now the gloomy evening sees Bertha pale and worn, leaving the house for ever, to wander out forlorn. Forlorn, nay not so, anguish shall do its work at length. Her soul passed through the fire shall gain still purer strength. Somewhere there waits for Bertha, an earnest, noble part. And meanwhile, God is with her. God.

and her own true heart. I could warmly and sincerely praise the little poem when Jarba had done reading it, but I could not say that it tended in any degree towards clearing up the mystery of the empty house. Whether it was the absence of the irritating influence of Trottle, or whether it was simply fatigue, I cannot say, but Jarba did not strike me that evening as being in his usual spirits. And though he declared that he was not in the least daunted by his want of success thus far, and that he was resolutely determined

to make more discoveries, he spoke in a languid, absent manner, and shortly afterwards took his leave at rather an early hour. When Trottle came back, and when I indignantly taxed him with philandering, He not only denied the imputation, but asserted that he had been employed on my service, and in consideration of that, boldly asked for leave of absence for two days, and for a morning to himself afterwards to complete the business, in which he solemnly declared that I was interested. in remembrance of his long and faithful service to me i did violence to myself and granted his request and he on his side engaged to explain himself to my satisfaction in a week's time on monday evening the twentieth a day or two before i sent to jarba's lodgings to ask him to drop into tea his landlady sent back an apology for him that made my head

stand on end his feet were in hot water his head was in a flannel petticoat a green shade was over his eyes the rheumatism was in his legs and a mustard paltice was on his chest he was also a little feverish and rather distracted in his mind about manchester marriages a dwarf and three evenings or evening parties his landlady was not sure which in an empty house with the water rate unpaid under these distressing circumstances i was necessarily left alone with trottle his promised explanation began like jarba's discoveries with the reading of a written paper the only difference was that trottle introduced his manuscript under the name of a report End of Chapter 4. Recording by Ruth Golding. Chapter 5 of A House to Let. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Ruth Golding. A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor.

Chapter 5. Trottles Report The curious events related in these pages would, many of them, most likely never have happened, if a person named Trottel had not presumed, contrary to his usual custom, to think for himself. The subject on which the person in question had ventured for the first time in his life to form an opinion purely and entirely his own was one which had already excited the interest of his respected mistress in a very extraordinary degree, or to put it in plainer terms still, the subject was no other than the mystery of the empty house. Feeling no sort of objection to set a success of his own, if possible, side by side with

a failure of Mr. Jarbours, Trottle made up his mind one Monday evening to try what he could do on his own account towards clearing up the mystery of the empty house. carefully dismissing from his mind all nonsensical notions of former tenants and their histories, and keeping the one point in view steadily before him, he started to reach it in the shortest way, by walking straight up to the house, and bringing himself face to face with the first person in it who opened the door to him. It was getting towards dark on Monday evening the 13th of the month when Trottle first set foot on the steps of the house.

When he knocked at the door, he knew nothing of the matter which he was about to investigate, except that the landlord was an elderly widower of good fortune, and that his name was folly. A small beginning enough for a man to start from, certainly. on dropping the knocker his first proceeding was to look down cautiously out of the corner of his right eye for any results which might show themselves at the kitchen window there appeared at it immediately the figure of a woman who looked up inquisitively at the stranger on the steps left the window in a hurry and came back to it with an open letter in her hand which she held up to the fading light After looking over the letter hastily for a moment or so, the woman disappeared once more. Trottle next heard footsteps shuffling and scraping along the bare hall of the house. On a sudden they ceased, and the sound of two voices, a shrill, persuading voice and a gruff resisting voice,

confusedly reached his ears. After a while the voices left off speaking. A chain was undone, a bolt drawn back, the door opened, and Trottles stood face to face with two persons, a woman in advance, and a man behind her, leaning back flat against the wall. "'Wish you good evening, sir,' says the woman in such a sudden way, and in such a cracked voice that it was quite startling to hear her. "'Chilly weather, ain't it, sir? Please to walk in. "'You come from good Mr. Fawley, don't you, sir?'

"'Don't you, sir,' chimes in the man hoarsely, making a sort of gruff echo of himself, and chuckling after it, as if he thought he had made a joke. If Trottle had said no, the door would have been probably closed in his face. Therefore, he took circumstances as he found them, and boldly ran all the risk, whatever it might be, of saying, yes.

Quite right, sir, says the woman. Good Mr. Fawley's letter told us his particular friend would be here to represent him at dusk on Monday the 13th, or if not on Monday the 13th, then on Monday the 20th at the same time, without fail. And here you are on Monday the 13th, thank you, sir. Mr. Fawley's particular friend, and dressed all in black, "'Quite right, sir. "'Please just step into the dining-room.

"'It's always kept scoured and clean "'against Mr. Forley comes here, "'and I'll fetch a candle in half a minute. "'It gets so dark in the evenings now, "'you hardly know where you are, do you, sir?' "'And how is good Mr. Forley in his health? "'We trust he is better, Benjamin, don't we? "'We are so sorry not to see him as usual, Benjamin, ain't we?'

"'In half a minute, sir, if you don't mind, sir, if you don't mind waiting, I'll be back with a candle. Come along, Benjamin. Come along, Benjamin, chimes in the echo, and chuckles again, as if he thought he had made another joke. Left alone in the empty front parlour, Trottle wondered what was coming next, as he heard the shuffling, scraping footsteps

go slowly down the kitchen stairs. The front door had been carefully chained up and bolted behind him on his entrance, and there was not the least chance of his being able to open it to effect his escape without betraying himself by making a noise. Not being of the Jarber sought, luckily for himself, he took his situation quietly as he found it, and turned his time, while alone, to account by summing up in his own mind the few particulars which he had discovered thus far. He had found out first that Mr. Fawley was in the habit of visiting the house regularly.

Second, that Mr. Fawley, being prevented by illness from seeing the people put in charge, as usual, had appointed a friend to represent him and had written to say so. Third, that the friend had a choice of two Mondays at a particular time in the evening for doing his errand, and that Trottle had accidentally hit on this time and on the first of the Mondays for beginning his own investigations. Fourth, that the similarity between Trottle's black dress as servant out of livery and the dress of the messenger, whoever he might be, had helped the error by which Trottle was profiting. So far, so good. But what was the messenger's errand? and what chance was there that he might not come up and knock at the door himself from minute to minute on that very evening.

While Trottle was turning over this last consideration in his mind, he heard the shuffling footsteps coming up the stairs again, with a flash of candlelight going before them. He waited for the woman's coming in with some little anxiety, for the twilight had been too dim on his. his getting into the house to allow him to see either her face or the man's face at all clearly. The woman came in first, with the man she called Benjamin at her heels, and set the candle on the mantelpiece. Trottle takes leave to describe her as an offensively cheerful old woman, awfully lean and wiry, and sharp all over at eyes, nose and chin, devilishly brisk, smiling and restless, with a dirty false front and a dirty black cap, and short, fidgety arms, and long, hooked fingernails. An unnaturally lusty old woman, who walked with a spring in her

wicked old feet, and spoke with a smirk on her wicked old face. The sort of old woman, as Trottle thinks, who ought to have lived in the dark ages and been ducked in a horse pond, instead of flurk, flourishing in the 19th century and taking charge of a Christian house. "'You'll please to excuse my son Benjamin, won't you, sir?' says this witch without a broomstick, pointing to the man behind her, propped against the bare wall of the dining-room, exactly as he had been propped against the bare wall of the passage. "'He's got his inside dreadful bad again as my son, Benjamin, "'and he won't go to bed, and he will follow me about the house, upstairs,

downstairs and in my lady's chamber, as the song says, you know. It's his indigestion, poor dear, that sours his temper and makes him so aggravating, and indigestion is a wearing thing to the best of us, ain't it, sir? Ain't it, sir? Chimes in, aggravating Benjamin, winking at the candlelight like an owl at the sunshine. Trottle examined the man, curiously, while his horrid old, mother was speaking of him. He found my son Benjamin to be little and lean and buttoned up slovenly in a frowsy old greatcoat that fell down to his ragged carpet slippers. His eyes were very watery, his cheeks very pale and his lips very red. His breathing was so uncommonly loud

that it sounded almost like a snore. His head rolled helplessly. in the monstrous big collar of his greatcoat, and his limp, lazy hands potted about the wall on either side of him as if they were groping for an imaginary bottle. In plain English, the complaint of my son Benjamin was drunkenness, of the stupid, pig-headed sottish kind. Drawing this conclusion easily enough, after a moment's observation of the man,

Trottle found himself nevertheless, keeping his eyes fixed much longer than was necessary on the ugly drunken face, rolling about in the monstrous big coat-collar, and looking at it with a curiosity that he could hardly account for at first. Was there something familiar to him in the man's features? He turned away from them for an instant, and then turned back to him again. After that second look, the notion forced itself into his mind that he had certainly seen a face somewhere, of which that Sot's face appeared like a kind of slovenly copy. "'Where?' thinks he to himself, "'Where did I last see the man,

"'whom this aggravating Benjamin here so very strongly reminds me of?' it was no time just then with the cheerful old woman's eyes searching him all over and the cheerful old woman's tongue talking at him nineteen to the dozen for trottle to be ransacking his memory for small matters that had got into wrong corners of it he put by in his mind that very curious circumstance respecting benjamin's face to be taken up again when a fit opportunity offered itself and kept his wits about him in prime order for present necessities you wouldn't like to go down into the kitchen would you says the witch without the broomstick as familiar as if she had been chottel's mother instead of benjamin's there's a bit of fire in the grate and the sink in the back kitchen don't smell to matter much to-day and it's uncommon chilly up here when a person's flesh don't hardly cover a person's bones but you don't look cold sir do you and then why lords "'Bless my soul, a little bit of business is so very, very little. "'It's hardly worthwhile to go downstairs about it after all. "'Quite a game at business, ain't it? It's a give and take, that's what I call it.

"'Give and take.' "'With that, her wicked old eyes settled hungrily on the region roundabout Trottle's waistcoat pocket, and she began to chuckle like her son, holding out one of her skinny hands, and tapping cheerfully in the palm with the knuckles of the other. Aggravating Benjamin, seeing what she was about, roused up a little, chuckled and tapped in imitation of her, got an idea of his own into his muddled head all of a sudden, and bolted it out charitably for the benefit of trottle.

I say, said, Benjamin, settling himself against the wall and nodding his head viciously at his cheerful old mother. "'I say, look out. She'll skin you.' Assisted by these signs and warnings, Trotl found no difficulty in understanding that the business referred to was the giving and taking of money, and that he was expected to be the giver.

It was at this stage of the proceedings that he first felt decidedly uncomfortable, and more than half inclined to wish he was on the street side of the house door again. He was still cuddling his brains for an excuse to save his pocket, when the silence was suddenly interrupted by a sound in the upper part of the house. It was not at all loud. It was a quiet, still scraping sound, so faint that it could hardly have reached the quickest ears, except in an empty house. "'Dear that, Benjamin,' says the old woman,

"'he's at it again, even in the dark, ain't he? Perhaps you'd like to see him, sir,' says she, turning on trottle, and poking her grinning face close to him. "'Only name it, only say if you'd like to see him before we do our little bit of business, and I'll show good forley's friend upstairs, just as if he was good. Mr. Forley himself. My legs are all right, whatever Benjamin's may be. I get younger and younger,

and stronger and stronger and jollier and jollier every day. That's what I do. Don't mind the stairs on my account, sir, if you'd like to see him. Him. Trottle wondered whether him meant a man or a boy, or a domestic animal of the male species. Whatever it meant, here was a chance of putting off that uncomfortable give-and-take business, and better still, a chance, perhaps, of finding out one of the secrets of the mysterious house.

Trottles' spirits began to rise again, and he said, Yes, directly, with the confidence of a man who knew all about it. Benjamin's mother took the candle at once and lighted trottle briskly to the stairs, and Benjamin himself tried to follow as usual, but getting up several flights of stairs, even helped by the banisters, was more with his particular complaint, than he seemed to feel himself inclined to venture on. He sat down obstinately on the lowest step, with his head against the wall, and the tails of his big great-coats spreading out magnificently on the stairs behind him and above him,

like a dirty imitation of a court lady's train. "'Don't sit there, dear,' says his affectionate mother, stopping to snuff the candle on the first landing. "'I shall sit here,' says Benjamin, aggravating to the last, "'till the milk comes in the morning.' The cheerful old woman went on, nimbly up the stairs to the first floor, and Trottle followed, with his eyes and ears wide open. He had seen nothing out of the common in the front parlour, or up the staircase, so far.

The house was dirty and dreary and close-smelling, but there was nothing about it to excite the least curiosity, except the faint scraping sound, which was now beginning to get a little clearer, though still not at all loud, as Trottle followed his leader up the stairs to the second floor. Nothing on the second floor landing, but cobwebs above and bits of broken plaster below, cracked off from the ceiling. Benjamin's mother was not a bit out of breath, and looked already to go to the top of the monument, if necessary.

The faint scraping sound had got a little clearer still, but Trotl was no nearer to guessing what it might be than when he first heard it in the parlour downstairs. On the third and last floor there were two doors, one which was shut leading into the front garret, and one which was ajar leading into the back garret. There was a loft in the ceiling above the landing, but the cobwebs all over it vouched sufficiently

for its not having been opened for some little time. The scraping noise, plainer than ever here, sounded on the other side of the back garret door, and to Trottle's great relief, that was precisely the door which the cheerful old woman now pushed open. Trottle followed her in, and, for once in his life at any rate,

was struck dumb with amazement, at the sight which the inside of the room revealed to him. The garret was absolutely empty of everything in the shape of furniture. It must have been used at one time or other by somebody engaged in a profession or a trade, which required for the practice of it a great deal of light, for the one window in the room, which looked out on a wide open space at the back of the house, was three or four times as large, every way, as a garret window usually is. Close under this window, kneeling on the bare boards with his face to the door,

there appeared, of all the creatures in the world to see alone at such a place and at such a time, a mere might of a child, a little, lonely, wizened, strangely clad boy, who could not at the most have been more than five years old. He had a greasy old blue shawl crossed over his breast, and rolled up to keep the ends from the ground into a great big lump, on his back. A strip of something which looked like the remains of a woman's flannel petticoat showed itself under the shawl, and below that again a pair of rusty black stockings, worlds too large for him, covered his legs and his shoeless feet. A pair of old clumsy muffeties, which had worked themselves

up on his little frail red arms to the elbows, and a big cotton nightcap. A pair of old, that had dropped down to his very eyebrows, finished off the strange dress which the poor little man seemed not half big enough to fill out, and not near strong enough to walk about him. But there was something to see even more extraordinary than the clothes the child was swaddled up in, and that was the game which he was playing at all by himself, and which, moreover, explained in the most unexpected manner the faint scraping noise that had found its way downstairs, through the half-opened door in the silence of the empty house. It has been mentioned that the child was on his knees in the house,

the garret when Trottle first saw him. He was not saying his prayers, and not crouching down in terror at being alone in the dark. He was, odd and unaccountable as it may appear, doing nothing more or less than playing at a charwoman's or housemaid's business of scouring the floor. Both his little hands had tight hold of a mangy old blacking brush, with hardly any bristles left in it, which he was rubbing backwards and forwards on the boards, as gravely and steadily, as if he had been at scouring work for years, and had got a large family to keep by it. The coming in of Trottle and the old woman did not startle or disturb him in the least. He just looked up for a minute at the candle, with a pair of very bright, sharp eyes,

and then went on with his work again, as if he was. nothing had happened. On one side of him was a battered pint saucepan without a handle, which was his make-believe pale, and on the other a morsel of slate-coloured cotton rag, which stood for his flannel to wipe up with. After scrubbing bravely for a minute or two, he took the bit of rag and mopped up, and then squeezed make-believe water out into his make-believe pale, as grave as any judge that ever sat on a bench. By the time he thought he had got the floor pretty dry, he raised himself upright on his knees and blew out a good long breath and set his little red arms akimbo, and nodded at Trotl.

"'There,' says the child, knitting his little downy eyebrows into a frown. "'Drap the dirt! I've got it. cleaned up. Where's my beer?' Benjamin's mother chuckled, till Trottle thought she would have choked herself. "'Lord have mercy on us,' says she. "'Just hear the imp. You would never think he was only five years old, would you, sir?' "'Please to tell good Mr. Fawley, you saw him going on as nicely as ever,

playing at being me, scouring the parlour floor, and calling for my beer afterwards. That's his regular game, morning, noon and night. He's never tired of it. Only look how snug we've been and dressed him. That's my shawl are keeping his precious little body warm and Benjamin's night cap are keeping his precious little head warm. And Benjamin's stockings drawled over his trousers are keeping his precious little legs warm. He's snug and happy if ever a imp was yet. Where's my beer? Say it again, little dear. Say it again. If Trottle had seen the boy with a light and a fire in the room, clothed like other children, and playing naturally with a top or a box of soldiers, or a bouncing big India-rubber ball,

he might have been as cheerful under the circumstances as Benjamin's mother herself. But seeing the child reduced, as he could not help suspecting, for want of proper toys and proper child's company, to take up with the mocking of an old woman at her scouring work, for something to stand in the place of a game. Trottle, though not a family man, nevertheless felt the sight before him to be in its way, one of the saddest and the most pitiable that he had ever witnessed. Why, my man, says he, you're the boldest little chap in all England. You don't seem a bit of it.

afraid of being up here all by yourself in the dark. "'The big window,' says the child, pointing up to it. "'Seas in the dark, and I see with the big window.' He stops a bit, and gets up on his legs, and looks hard at Benjamin's mother. "'I'm a gooden,' says he. "'Ain't I? I save candle.' Trottle wondered what else the forlorn little creature had been brought up to do with out besides candlelight, and risked putting a question as to whether he ever got a run in the

open air to cheer him up a bit. Oh, yes, he had a run now and then out of doors, to say nothing of his runs about the house, the lively little cricket, a run according to Good Mr. Fawley's instructions, which were followed out carefully, as good Mr. Fawley's friend would be glad to hear, to the very letter. as Trottle could only have made one reply to this, namely that good Mr. Fawley's instructions were, in his opinion, the instructions of an infernal scamp, and as he felt that such an answer would naturally prove the death-blow to all further discoveries on his part, he gulped down his feelings before they got too many for him, and held his tongue, and looked round towards the

window again to see what the forlorn little boy was going to amuse himself with next. The child had gathered up his blacking brush and bit of rag, and had put them into the old tin saucepan, and was now working his way, as well as his clothes would let him, with his make-believe pale hugged up in his arms, towards a door of communication, which led from the back to the front garret. "'I say,' says he, looking round sharply over his shirt, "'I say,' says he, looking round sharply over his shoulder. What are you two stopping here for? I'm going to bed now, and so I'll tell you. With that, he opened the door and walked into the front room. Seeing Trottle take a step or two to follow him, Benjamin's mother opened her wicked old eyes in a state of great astonishment.

Mercy on us, says she. Haven't you seen enough of him yet? No, says Trottle. I should like to see him go to bed. benjamin's mother burst into such a fit of chuckling that the loose extinguisher in the candlestick clattered again with the shaking of her hand to think of good mr forley's friend taking ten times more trouble about the imp than good mr forley himself such a joke as that benjamin's mother had not often met with in the course of her life and she begged to be excused if she took the liberty of having a laugh at it Leaving her to laugh as much as she pleased, and coming to a pretty positive conclusion after what he had just heard that Mr. Forley's interest in the child was not of the fondest possible kind, Trottle walked into the front room, and Benjamin's mother, enjoying herself immensely, followed with the candle. There were two pieces of furniture in the front garret, one an old stool of the sort that is used to stand a cask of beer on, and the other a great big, rickety, straddling old truckle bedstead. In the middle of this bedstead, surrounded by a dim, brown waist of sacking, was a kind of little island of poor bedding, an old bolster with nearly all the feathers out of it doubled in. three for a pillow, a mere shred of patchwork counterpane, and a blanket. And under that, and

peeping out a little on either side beyond the loose clothes, two faded chair-cushions of horsehair laid along together for a sort of makeshift mattress. When Trottle got into the room, the lonely little boy had scrambled up on the bedstead with the help of the beer-stool, and was kneeling on the outer rim of sacking with the shred of counter-pocket. And was kneeling on the outer rim of sacking with the shred of counterpane in his hands, just making ready to tuck it in for himself under the chair cushions. "'I'll tuck you up, my man,' says Trotl. "'Jump into bed and let me try.'

"'I mean to tuck myself up,' says the poor forlorn child. "'And I don't mean to jump. I mean to crawl, I do, and so I tell you.' "'With that he set to work, tucking in the clothes tight all down the side, of the cushions, but leaving them open at the foot. Then, getting up on his knees and looking hard at Trottle, as much as to say, what do you mean by offering to help such a handy little chap as me, he began to untie the big shawl for himself, and did it, too, in less than half a minute. Then, doubling the shawl up loose over the foot of the bed, he says, "'I say, look here!' and ducks under the clothes head first, warming his way,

way up and up softly under the blanket and counterpane, till Trottle saw the top of the large nightcap slowly peep out on the bolster. This oversized headgear of the child's had so shoved itself down in the course of his journey to the pillow under the clothes, that when he got his face fairly out on the bolster, he was all nightcap down to his mouth. He soon freed himself, however, from this slight incumbrance, by turning the ends of the cap up gravely to their old place over his eyebrows, looked at Trottle, said, Snug, ain't it? Goodbye! Popped his face under the clothes again, and left nothing to be seen of him, but the empty

peak of the big nightcap, standing up sturdily on end in the middle of the bolster. What a young limb it is, ain't it? says Benjamin's mother, giving Trottle a cheerful dig with her elbow. Come on, you won't see no more of him tonight. And so I tell you, sings out a shrill little voice under the bedclothes, chiming in with a playful finish to the old woman's last words. If Trotl had not been, by this time, positively resolved to follow the wicked secret which accident had mixed him up with,

through all its turnings and windings right on to the end, he would have probably snatched the boy up then and there and carried him off from his garret prison, bedclothes and all. As it was, he put a strong check on himself, kept his eye on future possibilities, and allowed Benjamin's mother to lead him downstairs again. "'Mine them top banisters,' says she. as Trottle laid his hand on them.

They're as rotten as meddlers, every one of them. When people come to see the premises, says Trottle, trying to feel his way a little farther into the mystery of the house, you don't bring many of them up here, do you? Bless your art alive, says she. Nobody ever comes now. The outside of the house is quite enough to warn them off.

More's the pity, as I say. He used to keep me in spirits, staggering them all one after another with the frightful I rent, especially the women, Dratham. What's the rent of this house? £120 a year. $120? Why they rent a house in the street as lets for more than 80? Lightly enough, ma'am. Other landlords may lower their rents if they please, but this year landlord sticks to his rights and means to have as much for his house as his

father had before him. But the neighbourhood's gone off since then. £120, ma'am. The landlord must be mad. £120 pound, ma'am. Open the door, you impertinent woman. Lord, what happiness it was to see and bounce out, with that awful rent a-ringing in their ears all down the street.

She stopped on the second-floor landing to treat herself to another day. chuckle, while Trottle privately posted up in his memory what he had just heard. Two points made out, he thought to himself. The house is kept empty on purpose, and the way it's done is to ask a rent that nobody will pay. Ah, dearie me, says Benjamin's mother, changing the subject on a sudden, and twisting back, with a horrid, greedy quickness, to those awkward money matters which she had brooched down in the parlour. What we've done one way and another for Mr Fawley it isn't in words to tell

that nice little bit of business of ours ought to be a bigger bit of business considering the trouble we take, Benjamin and me, to make the imp upstairs as happy as the day is long. If good Mr Fawley would only please to think a little more of what a deal he owes to Benjamin and me. "'That's just it,' says Trottle, catching her up short in desperation, and seeing his way, by the help of those last words of hers, to slipping cleverly through her fingers. "'What should you say if I told you that Mr. Forley was nothing like so far from thinking about that little matter as you fancy?'

you would be disappointed now if i told you that i had come to-day without the money her lank old jaw fell and her villainous old eyes glared in a perfect state of panic at that but what should you say if i told you that mr forley was only waiting for my report to send me here next monday at dusk with a bigger bit of a bit of a report with a bigger bit of business for us to do together than ever you think for. What should you say to that?' The old wretch came so near to Trottle before she answered, and jammed him up confidentially, so close into the corner of the landing, that his throat, in a manner, rose at her. "'Can you count it off, do you think, on more than that?' said she, holding up her four skinny fingers and her long crooked thumb, all of a tremble right before his face. "'What do you say to two hands instead of one?' says he, pushing past her, and getting

downstairs as fast as he could. What she said, Trottle thinks it best not to report, seeing that the old hypocrite, getting next daughter light-headed at the golden prospect before her, took such liberties with unearthly names and persons which ought never to have approached her lips, and rained down such an awful shower of blessings on Trottle's head, that his hair almost stood on end to hear her. He went on downstairs as fast as his feet would carry him, till he was brought up all standing, as the sailors say, on the last flight, by aggravating Benjamin,

lying right across the stair and fallen off, as might have been expected, into a heavy drunken sleep. The sight of him instantly reminded Trottle of the curious half-likeness, which he had already detected between the face of Benjamin and the face of another man, whom he had seen at a past time in very different circumstances. He determined, before leaving the house, to have one more look at the wretched, muddled creature, and accordingly shook him up smartly, and propped him against the staircase wall before his mother could interfere. "'Leave him to me, I'll freshen him up,' says Trottle to the old woman, looking hard in

Benjamin's face while he spoke. The fright and surprise of being suddenly woke up seemed for about a quarter of a minute to sober at the creature. When he first opened his eyes, there was a new look in them for a moment, which struck home to Trottle's memory, as quick and as clear as a flash of light. The old maudlin, sleepy expression came back again in another instant, and blurred out all further signs and tokens of the past. But Trottle had seen enough in the moment before it came, and he troubled Benjamin's face with no more inquiries. "'Next Monday at dusk,' says he,

"'cutting short some more of the old woman's palaver "'about Benjamin's indigestion. "'I've got no more time to spare ma' to-night. "'Please to let me out.' "'With a last few blessings, "'a few last dutiful messages to good Mr. Fawley, and a few last friendly hints not to forget next Monday at dusk. Trottle contrived to struggle through the sickening business of leave-taking,

to get the door opened, and to find himself to his own indescribable relief, once more on the outer side of the House to Lett. End of Chapter 5, recording by Ruth Golding. Chapter 6 of A House to Let This Librivox recording is in the public domain, recording by Ruth Golding. A house to let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Adelaide Anne Proctor. Chapter 6 Let at last There, ma'am, said Trottle, folding up the manuscript from which he had been reading,

and setting it down with a smart tap of triumph on the taste. table. May I venture to ask what you think of that plain statement as a guess on my part, and not on Mr. Jarbo's, at the riddle of the empty house? For a minute or two I was unable to say a word. When I recovered a little, my first question referred to the poor forlorn little boy. "'Today is Monday the 20th,' I said. "'Surely you have not let a whole week go by "'without trying to find out something more.'

"'Except at bedtime and meals, ma'am,' answered Trottle. "'I have not let an hour go by. "'Please to understand that I have only come to an end of what I have written "'and not to an end of what I have done. "'I wrote down those three, first particulars, ma'am, because they are of great importance, and also because I was determined to come forward with my written documents, seeing that Mr. Jarba chose to come forward, in the first instance, with his. I am now ready to go on with the second part of my story, as shortly and

plainly as possible, by word of mouth. The first thing I must clear up, if you please, is the matter of Mr. Forley's family affairs. I have heard you speak of the ma'am at various times, and I have understood that Mr. Forley had two children only by his deceased wife, both daughters. The eldest daughter married, to her father's entire satisfaction, one Mr. Bain, a rich man holding a high government situation in Canada. She is now living there with her husband, and her only child, a little girl of eight or nine years old.

Right so far, I think, ma'am? Quite right, I said. The second daughter, Trottle went on, and Mr. Forley's favourite set her father's wishes and the opinions of the world at flat defiance by running away with a man of low origin, a mate of a merchant vessel named Kirkland. Mr. Forley not only never forgave that marriage,

but vowed that he would visit the scandal of it heavily in the future on husband and wife. Both escaped his vengeance, whatever he meant it to be. The husband was drowned on his first voyage after his marriage, and the wife died in childbed. "'Right again, I believe, ma'am?' "'Again, quite right.' "'Having got the family matter all right, "'we will now go back, ma'am, to me and my doings.

"'Last Monday I asked you for leave of absence for two days. "'I employed the time in clearing up the matter off Benjamin's face. "'Last Saturday I was out of the way when you wanted me. "'I played truant, ma'am on. that occasion, in company with a friend of mine, who is managing clerk in a lawyer's office, and we both spent the morning at Doctor's Commons over the last will and testament of Mr. Foley's father. Leaving the will business for a moment, pleased to follow me first, if you have no objection, into the ugly subject of Benjamin's face. About six or seven years ago,

thanks to your kindness, I had a week's holiday with some friends of mine who live in the town of Pendlebury. One of those friends, the only one now left in the place, kept a chemist shop, and in that shop I was made acquainted with one of the two doctors in the town named Barham. This Barham was a first-rate surgeon, and might have got to the top of his profession, if he had not been a first-rate blaggard. As it was he both drank and gambled, nobody would have anything to do with him in Pendlebury. And at the time when I was made known to him in the chemist shop,

the other doctor, Mr. Dix, who was not to be compared with him for surgical skill, but who was a respectable man, had got all the practice. And Barsham and his old mother were living together in such a condition of utter poverty that it was a marvel to everybody how they kept out of the parish workhouse.

Benjamin and Benjamin's mother! Exactly, ma'am. Last Thursday morning, thanks to your kindness again, I went to Pendlebury to my friend the chemist to ask a few questions about Barsham and his mother. I was told that they had both left the town about five. years since. When I inquired into the circumstances, some strange particulars came out in the course of the chemist's answer. You know, I have no doubt, ma'am, that poor Mrs. Kirkland was confined while her

husband was at sea in lodgings at a village called Flatfield, and that she died and was buried there. But what you may not know is that Flatfield is only three miles from Pendlebury, that the doctor who attended on Mrs. Kirkland was Barsham, that the nurse who took care of her was Barsham's mother, and that the person who called them both in was Mr. Fawley. Whether his daughter wrote to him, or whether he heard of it in some other way, I don't know, but he was with her, though he had sworn never to see her again when she married, a month or more before her confinement, and was backwards and forwards a good deal between Flatfield and Pendlebury. How he managed matters with the Barshams cannot at present be discovered. But it is a fact that he contrived to keep the drunken doctor sober to everybody's amazement.

It is a fact that Barsham went to the poor woman with all his wits about him. It is a fact that he and his mother came back from Flatfield after Mrs. Kirkland's death, packed up what few things they had, and left the town mysteriously by night. And lastly, it is all of the town. a fact that the other doctor, Mr. Dix, was not called in to help till a week after the birth and burial of the child, when the mother was sinking from exhaustion. Exhaustion, to give the vagabond Barshum his due, not produced in Mr. Dix's opinion by improper medical treatment, but by the bodily weakness of the poor woman herself. "'Beryl of the child,' I interrupted, trembling all over. "'Trottle! You spoke that word burial in a very strange way.

"'You are fixing your eyes on me now with a very strange look.' "'Trottle leaned over close to me and pointed through the window to the empty house. "'The child's death is registered at Pendlebury.' he said on barsham's certificate under the head of male infant stillborn the child's coffin lies in the mother's grave in flatfield churchyard the child himself as surely as i live and breathe is living and breathing now a castaway and a prisoner in that villainous house I sank back in my chair. It's guesswork so far, but it is born in on my mind for all that as truth. Rouse yourself, ma'am, and think a little.

The last I hear of Barsham he is attending Mr. Fawley's disobedient daughter. The next I see of Barsham he is in Mr. Fawley's house, trusted with a secret. he and his mother leave pendlebury suddenly and suspiciously five years back and he and his mother have got a child of five years old hidden away in the house wait please to wait i have not done yet the will left by mr forley's father strengthens the suspicion the friend i took with me to doctor's commons made himself master of the contents of that will and when he had done so i put these two questions to him can mr forley leave his money at his own discretion to anybody he pleases no my friend says his father has left him with only a life interest in it suppose one of mr forley's married daughters has a girl and the other a boy how would the money go it would all go my friend says to the boy and it would be charged with the payment of a certain annual income to his female cousin after her death it would go back to the male descendant and to his heirs.

Consider that, ma'am. The child of the daughter whom Mr. Forley hates, whose husband has been snatched away from his vengeance by death, takes his whole property in defiance of him, and the child of the daughter whom he loves is left a pensioner on her low-born boy cousin for life. There was good, too good reason why that child of Mrs. Kirkland's should be registered still-born. And if, as I believe, the register is founded on a false certificate, there is better, still better reason why the existence of the child should be hidden and all trace of his parentage blotted out, in the garret of that empty house.

he stopped and pointed for the second time to the dim dust-covered garret windows opposite as he did so i was startled a very slight matter sufficed to frighten me now by a knock at the door of the room in which we were sitting my maid came in with a letter in her hand i took it from her the morning card which was all the envelope enclosed dropped from my hands george forley was no more he had departed this life three days since on the evening of friday did our last chance of discovering the truth i asked rest with him? Has it died with his death? Courage, ma'am, I think not. Our chance rests on our power to make Barsham and his mother confess, and Mr. Forley's death, by leaving them helpless, seems to put that power into our hands. With your permission, I will not wait till dusk today, as I at first intended, but will make sure of those two people at once. With a policeman in plain clothes to watch the house, in case they try to leave it,

with this card to vouch for the fact of Mr. Forley's death, and with a bold acknowledgement on my part of having got possession of their secret and of being ready to use it against them, in case of need, I think there is little doubt of bringing Barsham and his mother to term. in case i find it impossible to get back here before dusk please to sit near the window-mom and watch the house a little before they light the street lamps if you see the front door open and close again will you be good enough to put on your bonnet and come across to me immediately mr forley's death may or may not prevent his messenger from coming as arranged but if the person does come it is of importance that you as a relative of mr forley's should be present to see him and to have that proper influence over him which i cannot pretend to exercise the only words i could say to trotl as he opened the door and left me

were words charging him to take care that no harm happened to the poor forlorn little boy left alone i drew my chair to the window and looked out with a beating heart at the guilty house i waited and waited through what appeared to me to be an endless time until i heard the wheels of a cab stop at the end of the street i looked in that direction and saw trottle get out of the cab alone walk up to the house and knock at the door he was let in by barsham's mother a minute or two later a decently dressed man sauntered past the house looked up at it for a moment and sauntered on to the corner of the street close by here he leant against the post and lighted a cigar and stopped there smoking in an idle way but keeping his face always turned in the direction of the house door i waited and waited still i waited and waited with my eyes riveted to the door of the house at last i thought i saw it open in the dusk and then felt sure i heard it shut again softly though i tried hard to compose myself i trembled so that i was obliged to call for peggy to help me on with my bonnet and cloak and was forced to take her arm to lean on in crossing the street trotl opened the door to us before we could knock peggy went back and i went in he had a lighted candle in his hand it has happened ma'am as i thought it would

he whispered, leading me into the bare, comfortless, empty parlour. Barsham and his mother have consulted their own interests, and have come to terms. My guesswork is guesswork no longer. It is now what I felt it was. Truth. Something strange to me, something which women who are mothers must often know, trembled suddenly in my heart, and brought the warm tears of my youthful days thronging back into my eyes. I took my faithful old servant by the hand, and asked him to let me see Mrs. Kirkland's child,

for his mother's sake. "'If you desire it, ma'am,' said Trottle, with a gentleness of manner that I had never noticed in him before. But pray, don't think me wanting in duty and right feeling, if I beg you to try and wait a little. You are agitated already, and a first meeting with the child will not help to make you so calm as you would wish to be if Mr. Forley's messenger comes. The little boy is safe upstairs. pray think first of trying to compose yourself for a meeting with a stranger and believe me you shall not leave the house afterwards without the child i felt that trottle was right and sat down as patiently as i could in a chair he had thoughtfully placed ready for me i was so horrified at the discovery of my own relations wickedness that when trottle proposed to make me acquainted with the confession, rung from Barsham and his mother,

I begged him to spare me all details, and only to tell me what was necessary about George Fawley. All that can be said for Mr. Fawley-Mam is that he was just scrupulous enough to hide the child's existence, and blot out its parentage here, instead of consenting at the first to its death, or afterwards when the boy grew up to turning him adrift absolutely helpless in the world the fraud has been managed ma'am with the cunning of satan himself mr forley had the hold over the barshams that they had helped him in his villainy and that they were dependent on him for the bread they eat he had brought them up to london to keep them to keep them securely under his own eye. He put them into this empty house, taking it out of the agent's hands previously on pretence that he meant to manage the letting of it himself, and by keeping the house empty, made it the

surest of all hiding-places for the child. Here Mr. Forley could come whenever he pleased, to see that the poor, lonely child was not absolutely starved. that his visits would only appear like looking after his own property. Here the child was to have been trained to believe himself Barsham's child, till he should be old enough to be provided for, in some situation as low and as poor as Mr. Forley's uneasy conscience would let him pick out. He may have thought of atonement on his deathbed, but not. Before. I am only too certain of it. Not before.

A low double knock startled us. The messenger, said Trottle under his breath. He went out instantly to answer the knock, and returned, leading in a respectable-looking elderly man, dressed like Trottle all in black, with a white cravat, but otherwise not at all resembling him. "'I am afraid I have made some mistake,' said the stranger. Trottle, considerately taking the office of explanation into his own hands, assured the gentleman that there was no mistake, mentioned to him who I was,

and asked him if he had not come on business connected with the late Mr. Forley. Looking greatly astonished, the gentleman answered, "'Yes.' "'There was an awkward moment of silence after that. "'The stranger seemed to be not only startled and amazed, "'but rather distrustful and fearful of committing himself as well. "'Noticing this, I thought it best to request Trottle "'to put an end to further embarrassment

"'by stating all particulars truthfully as he had stated them to me, and I begged the gentleman to listen patiently for the late Mr. Forley's sake. He bowed to me very respectfully and said he was prepared to listen with the greatest interest. It was evident to me, and I could see to throttle also, that we were not dealing, to say the least, with a dishonest man. Before I offer any opinion on what I have heard, he said earnestly and anxious, after Trottle had done. I must be allowed injustice to myself to explain my own apparent connection

with this very strange and very shocking business. I was the confidential legal advisor of the late Mr. Forley, and I am left his executor. Rather more than a fortnight back, when Mr. Forley was confined to his room by illness, he sent for me, and charged me to call and pay a certain sum of money here, to a man and woman whom I should find taking

charge of the house. He said he had reasons for wishing the affair to be kept a secret. He begged me so to arrange my engagements that I could call at this place either on Monday last or today at dusk, and he mentioned that he would write to warn the people of my coming without mentioning my name. Dolcott is my name, as he did not wish to expose me to any future importunities on the part of the man and woman. I need hardly tell you that this commission struck me as being a strange one. But in my position with Mr. Forley, I had no resource but to accept it without asking questions, or to break off my long and friendly connection with my client.

I chose the first alternative. Business prevented me from doing my errand on Monday last, and if I am here today, notwithstanding Mr. Fawley's unexpected death, it is emphatically because I understood nothing off the matter on knocking at this door, and therefore felt myself bound as executor to clear it up. That, on my word of honour, is the whole truth, so far as I am personally concerned. I feel quite sure of it, sir, I answered. You mentioned Mr. Fawley's death just now as unexpected. "'May I inquire if you were present,

"'and if he has left any last instructions?' "'Three hours before Mr. Forley's death,' said Mr. Dolcott. "'His medical attendant left him apparently in a fair way of recovery. "'The change for the worse took place so suddenly, "'and was accompanied by such severe suffering "'to prevent him from communicating his last wishes to anyone. "'When I reached his house, he was insensible. I have since examined his papers, not one of them refers to the present time, or to the

serious matter which now occupies us. In the absence of instructions I must act cautiously on what you have told me, but I will be rigidly fair and just at the same time. The first thing to be done, he continued, addressing himself to trottle, is to hear what the man and woman downstairs have to say. "'If you can supply me with writing materials, "'I will take their declarations separately on the spot, "'in your presence and in the presence of the policeman

"'who is watching the house. "'Tomorrow I will send copies of those declarations "'accompanied by a full statement of the case "'to Mr. and Mrs. Bain in Canada, "'both of whom know me well as the late Mr. Forley's legal adviser. "'And I will suspend all proceedings on my case, part until i hear from them or from their solicitor in london in the present posture of affairs this is all i can safely do we could do no less than agree with him and thank him for his frank and honest manner of meeting us it was arranged that i should send over the writing materials from my lodgings and to my unutterable joy and relief it was also readily acknowledged

that the poor little orphan boy could find no fit a refuge than my old arms were longing to offer him, and no safer protection for the night than my roof could give. Trotl hastened away upstairs, as actively as if he had been a young man, to fetch the child down. And he brought him down to me without another moment of delay, and I went on my knees before the poor little might and embraced him, and asked him if he would go with me to where I lived. He held me away for a moment, and his one shrewd little eyes looked sharp at me.

Then he clung close to me all at once and said, "'I'm a-going-along with you, I am, and so I tell you.' For inspiring the poor neglected child, with this trust in my old self, I thanked heaven then with all my heart and soul, and I thank it now. I bundled the poor darling up in my own cloak, and I carried him in my own arms across the road. Peggy was lost in speechless amazement to behold me trudging out of breath upstairs, with a strange pair of poor little legs under my arm. But she began to cry over the child the moment she saw him,

like a sensible woman as she always was, and she still cried her eyes out over him in a comfortable manner when he at last lay fast asleep, tucked up by my hands in Trottle's bed. "'And Trottle! Bless you, my dear man!' said I, kissing his hand as he looked on. The forlorn baby came to this refuge through you, and he will help you on your way to heaven.

Trottle answered that I was his dear mistress, and immediately went and put his head out at an open window on the landing, and looked into the back street for a quarter of an hour. That very night as I sat thinking of the poor child, and of another poor child who is never to be thought about enough at Christmas time, the idea came into my mind which I have lived to execute, and in the realisation of which I am the happiest of women this day. "'The executor will sell that house, Trottle,' said I. "'Not a doubt of it, Mom, if he can find a purchaser. "'I'll buy it.' "'I have often seen Trottle pleased,

"'but I never saw him so perfectly enchanted "'as he was when I confided to him, "'which I did then and there, "'the purpose that I had in view.' to make short of a long story, and what story would not be long coming from the lips of an old woman like me, unless it was made short by main force, I bought the house. Mrs. Bain had her father's blood in her. She evaded the opportunity of forgiving and generous reparation that was offered her, and disowned the child. but I was prepared for that, and loved him all the more for having no one in the world to look to but me. I am getting into a flurry by being over-pleased, and I dare say I am as incoherent as need be.

I bought the house, and I altered it from the basement to the roof, and I turned it into a hospital for sick children. Never mind by what degrees my little adopted boy came to the knowledge of all the sights and sounds in the streets, so familiar to other children and so strange to him. Never mind by what degrees he came to be pretty and childish and winning and companionable, and to have pictures and toys about him and suitable playmates. As I write, I look across the road to my own. my hospital, and there is the darling, who has gone over to play, nodding at me out of one of the

once lonely windows, with his dear, chubby face backed up by Trottle's waistcoat, as he lifts my pet for Grandma to see. Many an eye I see in that house now, but it is never in solitude, never in neglect. Many an eye I see in that house now, that is more and more radiant every day with the light of returning health. As my precious darling has changed beyond description for the brighter and the better, so do the not less precious darlings of poor women change in that house every day in the year. For which I humbly thank that gracious being whom the restorer of the widow's son and of the ruler's daughter

instructed all mankind to call their father. End of A House to Lett by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Proctor.