首页 >出版文学> Tommy and Co。>第2章

第2章

  Iain’tanAnarchist。"
  ThePrince,byamusculareffort,retiredsomefourorfiveinchesandcommencedtorebuttonhiswaistcoat。
  "Howdidyougethere?"askedthePrince。
  "’TwasabiggerjobthanI’dreckonedon,"admittedTommy,seekingadryinchinthesmearedhandkerchief,andfindingnone。"Butthatdon’tmatter,"addedTommycheerfully,"nowI’mhere。"
  "IfyoudonotwishmetohandyouovertothepoliceatSouthampton,youhadbetteranswermyquestions,"remarkedthePrincedrily。
  Tommywasnotafraidofprinces,butinthelexiconofherharassedyouth"Police"hadalwaysbeenawordofdread。
  "Iwantedtogetatyou。"
  "Igatherthat。"
  "Theredidn’tseemanyotherway。It’sjollydifficulttogetatyou。You’resojollyartful。"
  "Tellmehowyoumanagedit。"
  "There’salittlebridgeforsignalsjustoutsideWaterloo。I
  couldseethatthetrainwouldhavetopassunderit。SoIclimbedupandwaited。Itbeingafoggynight,yousee,nobodytwiggedme。
  Isay,youarePrinceBlank,ain’tyou?"
  "IamPrinceBlank。"
  "ShouldhavebeenmadifI’dlandedthewrongman。"
  "Goon。"
  "Iknewwhichwasyourcarriage——leastways,Iguessedit;andasitcamealong,Ididadrop。"Tommyspreadoutherarmsandlegstoillustratetheaction。"Thelamps,youknow,"explainedTommy,stilldabbingatherface——"oneofthemcaughtme。"
  "Andfromtheroof?"
  "Oh,well,itwaseasyafterthat。There’sanironthingattheback,andsteps。You’veonlygottowalkdownstairsandroundthecorner,andthereyouare。Bitofluckyourotherdoornotbeinglocked。Ihadn’tthoughtofthat。Haven’tgotsuchathingasahandkerchiefaboutyou,haveyou?"
  ThePrincedrewonefromhissleeveandpassedittoher。"Youmeantotellme,boy——"
  "Ain’taboy,"explainedTommy。"I’magirl!"
  Shesaiditsadly。Deeminghernewfriendssuchascouldbetrusted,Tommyhadacceptedtheirstatementthatshereallywasagirl。Butformanyalongyeartocomethethoughtofherlostmanhoodtingedhervoicewithbitterness。
  "Agirl!"
  Tommynoddedherhead。
  "Umph!"saidthePrince;"IhaveheardagooddealabouttheEnglishgirl。Iwasbeginningtothinkitexaggerated。Standup。"
  Tommyobeyed。Itwasnotaltogetherherway;butwiththoseeyesbeneaththeirshaggybrowsbentuponher,itseemedthesimplestthingtodo。
  "So。Andnowthatyouarehere,whatdoyouwant?"
  "Tointerviewyou。"
  Tommydrewforthherlistofquestions。
  Theshaggybrowscontracted。
  "Whoputyouuptothisabsurdity?Whowasit?Tellmeatonce。"
  "Nobody。"
  "Don’tlietome。Hisname?"
  Theterrible,smalleyesflashedfire。ButTommyalsohadapairofeyes。Beforetheirblazeofindignationthegreatmanpositivelyquailed。Thistypeofopponentwasnewtohim。
  "I’mnotlying。"
  "Ibegyourpardon,"saidthePrince。
  AndatthispointitoccurredtothePrince,whobeingreallyagreatman,hadnaturallyasenseofhumour,thataconferenceconductedontheselinesbetweentheleadingstatesmanofanEmpireandanimpertinenthussyof,say,twelveyearsoldattheoutside,mightendbybecomingridiculous。SothePrincetookuphischairandputitdownagainbesideTommy’s,andemployingskilfullyhisundoubteddiplomaticgifts,drewfromherbitbybitthewholestory。
  "I’minclined,MissJane,"saidtheGreatMan,thestoryended,"toagreewithourfriendMr。Hope。Ishouldsayyourmetierwasjournalism。"
  "Andyou’llletmeinterviewyou?"askedTommy,showingherwhiteteeth。
  TheGreatMan,layingahandheavierthanheguessedonTommy’sshoulder,rose。"Ithinkyouareentitledtoit。"
  "What’syourviews?"demandedTommy,reading,"ofthefuturepoliticalandsocialrelationships——"
  "Perhaps,"suggestedtheGreatMan,"itwillbesimplerifIwriteitmyself。"
  "Well,"concurredTommy;"myspellingisabitrocky。"
  TheGreatMandrewachairtothetable。
  "Youwon’tmissoutanything——willyou?"insistedTommy。
  "Ishallendeavour,MissJane,togiveyounocauseforcomplaint,"
  gravelyheassuredher,andsatdowntowrite。
  NottillthetrainbegantoslackenspeedhadthePrincefinished。
  Then,blottingandrefoldingthepaper,hestoodup。
  "Ihaveaddedsomeinstructionsonthebackofthelastpage,"
  explainedthePrince,"towhichyouwilldrawMr。Hope’sparticularattention。Iwouldwishyoutopromiseme,MissJane,neveragaintohaverecoursetodangerousacrobatictricks,noteveninthesacredcauseofjournalism。"
  "Ofcourse,ifyouhadn’tbeensojollydifficulttogetat——"
  "Myfault,Iknow,"agreedthePrince。"Thereisnottheleastdoubtastowhichsexyoubelongto。Nevertheless,Iwantyoutopromiseme。Come,"urgedthePrince,"Ihavedoneagooddealforyou——morethanyouknow。"
  "Allright,"consentedTommyalittlesulkily。Tommyhatedmakingpromises,becauseshealwayskeptthem。"Ipromise。"
  "ThereisyourInterview。"ThefirstSouthamptonplatformlampshoneinuponthePrinceandTommyastheystoodfacingoneanother。ThePrince,whohadacquiredthereputation,notaltogetherunjustly,ofanill—temperedandsavageoldgentleman,didastrangething:takingthelittle,blood—smearedfacebetweenhispaws,hekissedit。Tommyalwaysrememberedthesmokyflavourofthebristlygreymoustache。
  "Onethingmore,"saidthePrincesternly——"notawordofallthis。
  Don’topenyourmouthtospeakofittillyouarebackinGoughSquare。"
  "Doyoutakemeforamug?"answeredTommy。
  TheybehavedveryoddlytoTommyafterthePrincehaddisappeared。
  Everybodytookadealoftroubleforher,butnoneofthemseemedtoknowwhytheyweredoingit。Theylookedatherandwentaway,andcameagainandlookedather。Andthemoretheythoughtaboutit,themorepuzzledtheybecame。Someofthemaskedherquestions,butwhatTommyreallydidn’tknow,addedtowhatshedidn’tmeantotell,wassoprodigiousthatCuriosityitselfpaledatcontemplationofit。
  Theywashedandbrushedherupandgaveheranexcellentsupper;
  andputtingherintoafirst—classcompartmentlabelled"Reserved,"
  sentherbacktoWaterloo,andthenceinacabtoGoughSquare,whereshearrivedaboutmidnight,sufferingfromasenseofself—
  importance,tracesofwhichtothisdayarestilldiscernible。
  Suchandthuswasthebeginningofallthings。Tommy,havingtalkedforhalfanhourattherateoftwohundredwordsaminute,hadsuddenlydroppedherheaduponthetable,hadbeenarousedwithdifficultyandpersuadedtogotobed。Peter,inthedeepeasy—
  chairbeforethefire,satlongintothenight。Elizabeth,likingquietcompany,purredsoftly。OutoftheshadowscrepttoPeterHopeanoldforgottendream——thedreamofawonderfulnewJournal,priceonepennyweekly,ofwhichtheEditorshouldcometobeoneThomasHope,sonofPeterHope,itshonouredFounderandOriginator:apowerfulJournalthatshouldsupplyalong—feltwant,popular,butatthesametimeelevating——apleasuretothepublic,aprofittoitsowners。"Doyounotrememberme?"
  whisperedtheDream。"Wehadlongtalkstogether。Themorningandthenoondaypass。Theeveningstillisours。Thetwilightalsobringsitspromise。"
  Elizabethstoppedpurringandlookedupsurprised。Peterwaslaughingtohimself。
  STORYTHESECOND——WilliamCloddappointshimselfManagingDirectorMrs。PostwhistlesatonaWindsor—chairinthecentreofRollsCourt。Mrs。Postwhistle,who,inthedaysofherHebehood,hadbeenlikenedbyadmiringfrequentersoftheoldMitreinChanceryLanetotheladies,somewhatemaciated,thatanEnglishartist,sincebecomefamous,wasthencommencingtopopularise,haddevelopedwiththepassingyears,yetstillretainedafaceofplacidyouthfulness。Thetwofacts,takeninconjunction,hadresultedinanassettoherincomenottobedespised。ThewandererthroughRollsCourtthissummer’safternoon,presuminghimtobefamiliarwithcurrentjournalism,wouldhaveretiredhauntedbythesensethattherestful—lookingladyontheWindsor—chairwassomeonethatheoughttoknow。Glancingthroughalmostanyillustratedpaperoftheperiod,theproblemwouldhavebeensolvedforhim。AphotographofMrs。Postwhistle,takenquiterecently,hewouldhaveencounteredwiththislegend:"BEFOREuseofProfessorHardtop’scertaincureforcorpulency。"BesideitaphotographofMrs。Postwhistle,thenArabellaHiggins,takentwentyyearsago,thelegendslightlyvaried:"AFTERuse,"etc。Thefacewasthesame,thefigure——therewasnodenyingit——hadundergonedecidedalteration。
  Mrs。PostwhistlehadreachedwithherchairthecentreofRollsCourtincourseoffollowingthesun。Thelittleshop,overthelintelofwhichran:"TimothyPostwhistle,GrocerandProvisionMerchant,"shehadleftbehindherintheshadow。OldinhabitantsofSt。Dunstan—in—the—Westretainedrecollectionofagentlemanlyfigure,alwaysinaverygorgeouswaistcoat,withDundrearywhiskers,tobeseenoccasionallytherebehindthecounter。Allcustomersitwouldrefer,withtheairofaLordHighChamberlainintroducingdebutantes,toMrs。Postwhistle,evidentlyregardingitselfpurelyasornamental。Forthelasttenyears,however,noonehadnoticeditthere,andMrs。Postwhistlehadafacilityamountingalmosttogeniusforignoringormisunderstandingquestionsitwasnottohertastetoanswer。Mostthingsweresuspected,nothingknown。St。Dunstan—in—the—Westhadturnedtootherproblems。
  "IfIwasn’twantingtosee’im,"remarkedtoherselfMrs。
  Postwhistle,whowasknittingwithoneeyeupontheshop,"’e’dabeen’ere’foreI’d’adtimetoclearthedinnerthingsaway;
  certainto’avebeen。It’sastrangeworld。"
  Mrs。PostwhistlewasdesirousforthearrivalofagentlemannotusuallyawaitedwithimpatiencebytheladiesofRollsCourt——towit,oneWilliamClodd,rent—collector,whosedayforSt。Dunstan—
  in—the—WestwasTuesday。
  "Atlast,"saidMrs。Postwhistle,thoughwithouthopethatMr。
  Clodd,whohadjustappearedattheotherendofthecourt,couldpossiblyhearher。"Wasbeginningtobeafraidasyou’dtumbledoveryerselfinyour’urryand’urtyerself。"
  Mr。Clodd,perceivingMrs。Postwhistle,decidedtoabandonmethodandtakeNo。7first。
  Mr。Cloddwasashort,thick—set,bullet—headedyoungman,withwaysthatwerebustling,andeyesthat,thoughkind,suggestedtrickiness。
  "Ah!"saidMr。Cloddadmiringly,ashepocketedthesixhalf—crownsthattheladyhandeduptohim。"Ifonlytheywerealllikeyou,Mrs。Postwhistle!"
  "Wouldn’tbenoneedofchapslikeyoutoworry’em,"pointedoutMrs。Postwhistle。
  "It’sanironyoffate,mybeingarent—collector,whenyoucometothinkofit,"remarkedMr。Clodd,writingoutthereceipt。"IfI
  hadmyway,I’dputanendtolandlordism,rootandbranch。Curseofthecountry。"
  "JusttheverythingIwantedtotalktoyouabout,"returnedthelady——"thatlodgero’mine。"
  "Ah!don’tpay,don’the?Youjusthandhimovertome。I’llsoonhaveitoutofhim。"
  "It’snotthat,"explainedMrs。Postwhistle。"IfaSaturdaymorning’appenedtocomeroundas’edidn’tpayupwithoutmeasking,IshouldknowI’dmadeamistake——thatitmustbeFriday。
  IfIdon’t’appentobeinat’alf—pastten,’eputsitinanenvelopeandleavesitonthetable。"
  "Wonderifhismotherhasgotanymorelikehim?"musedMr。Clodd。
  "Coulddowithafewaboutthisneighbourhood。Whatisityouwanttosayabouthim,then?Merelytobragabouthim?"
  "Iwantedtoaskyou,"continuedMrs。Postwhistle,"’owIcouldgetridof’im。Itwasratheracuriousagreement。"
  "Whydoyouwanttogetridofhim?Toonoisy?"
  "Noisy!Why,thecatmakesmorenoiseaboutthe’ousethan’edoes。’E’dmake’isfortuneasaburglar。"
  "Comehomelate?"
  "Neverknown’imoutaftertheshuttersareup。"
  "Givesyoutoomuchtroublethen?"
  "Ican’tsaythatof’im。Neverknowwhether’e’sinthe’ouseorisn’t,withoutgoingupstairsandknockingatthedoor。"
  "Here,youtellityourownway,"suggestedthebewilderedClodd。
  "Ifitwasanyoneelsebutyou,Ishouldsayyoudidn’tknowyourownbusiness。"
  "’Egetsonmynerves,"saidMrs。Postwhistle。"Youain’tina’urryforfiveminutes?"
  Mr。Cloddwasalwaysinahurry。"ButIcanforgetittalkingtoyou,"addedthegallantMr。Clodd。
  Mrs。Postwhistleledthewayintothelittleparlour。
  "Justthenameofit,"consentedMr。Clodd。"Cheerfulnesscombinedwithtemperance;that’stheideal。"
  "I’lltellyouwhat’appenedonlylastnight,"commencedMrs。
  Postwhistle,seatingherselftheoppositesideoftheloo—table。
  "Alettercamefor’imbytheseveno’clockpost。I’dseen’imgoouttwohoursbefore,andthoughI’dbeensittingintheshopthewholeblessedtime,Ineversawor’eard’impassthrough。E’slikethat。It’slike’avingaghostforalodger。Iopened’isdoorwithoutknockingandwentin。Ifyou’llbelieveme,’ewasclingingwith’isarmsandlegstothetopofthebedstead——it’soneofthoseold—fashioned,four—postthings——’is’eadtouchingtheceiling。’E’adn’tgottoomuchclotheson,andwascrackingnutswith’isteethandeating’em。’Ethrewa’andfulofshellsatme,andmakingthemostawfulfacesatme,startedoffgibberingsoftlytohimself。"
  "Allplay,Isuppose?Norealvice?"commentedtheinterestedMr。
  Clodd。
  "Itwillgoonforaweek,thatwill,"continuedMrs。Postwhistle——
  "’efancying’imselfamonkey。Lastweekhewasatortoise,andwascrawlingaboutonhisstomachwithatea—traytiedonto’isback。’E’sassensibleasmostmen,ifthat’ssayingmuch,themoment’e’soutsidethefrontdoor;butinthe’ouse——well,I
  supposethefactisthat’e’salunatic。"
  "Don’tseemnohidinganythingfromyou,"Mrs。PostwhistleremarkedMr。Cloddintonesofadmiration。"Doesheevergetviolent?"
  "Don’tknowwhat’ewouldbelikeif’e’appenedtofancy’imselfsomethingreallydangerous,"answeredMrs。Postwhistle。"Iamabitnervousofthisnewmonkeygame,Idon’tmindconfessingtoyou——thethingsthattheydoaccordingtothepicture—books。Uptonow,exceptforimagining’imselfamole,andtakingallhismealsunderneaththecarpet,it’sbeenmostlybirdsandcatsand’armlesssorto’thingsI’aven’tseemedtomindsomuch。"
  "Howdidyougetholdofhim?"demandedMr。Clodd。"Havemuchtroubleinfindinghim,ordidsomebodycomeandtellyouabouthim?"
  "OldGladman,ofChanceryLane,thelawstationer,brought’im’ereoneeveningabouttwomonthsago——said’ewasasortofdistantrelativeof’is,abitsoftinthe’ead,butperfectly’armless——
  wantedtoput’imwithsomeonewhowouldn’timposeon’im。Well,whatbetween’avingbeenemptyforoverfiveweeks,thepooroldgaby’imselflookingasgentleasalamb,andthefigurebeingreasonable,Iratherjumpedattheidea;andoldGladman,explainingas’ow’ewantedthethingsettledanddonewith,gotmetosignaletter。"
  "Keptacopyofit?"askedthebusiness—likeClodd。
  "No。ButIcanrememberwhatitwas。Gladman’aditallready。
  Solongasthemoneywaspaidpunctualand’edidn’tmakenodisturbanceanddidn’tfallsick,Iwastogoonboardingandlodging’imforseventeen—and—sixpenceaweek。Itdidn’tstrikemeasanythingtobeobjectedtoatthetime;but’epayin’regular,asI’veexplainedtoyou,andbe’aving,sofarasdisturbanceisconcerned,morelikeaChristianmartyrthanaman,well,itlookstomeasifI’dgottoliveanddiewith’im。"
  "Givehimrope,andpossiblyhe’llhaveaweekatbeingahowlinghyaena,oralaughingjackass,orsomethingofthatsortthatwillleadtoadisturbance,"thoughtMr。Clodd,"inwhichcase,ofcourse,youwouldhaveyourremedy。"
  "Yes,"thoughtMrs。Postwhistle,"andpossiblyalso’emaytakeitintowhat’ecallsis’eadtobeatigerorabull,andthenperhapsbefore’e’sthroughwithitI’llbebeyondthereachofremedies。"
  "Leaveittome,"saidMr。Clodd,risingandsearchingforhishat。
  "IknowoldGladman;I’llhaveatalkwithhim。"
  "Youmightgetalookatthatletterifyoucan,"suggestedMrs。
  Postwhistle,"andtellmewhatyouthinkaboutit。Idon’twanttospendtherestofmydaysinalunaticasylumofmyownifIcan’elpit。"
  "Youleaveittome,"wasMr。Clodd’spartingassurance。
  TheJulymoonhadthrownasilverveiloverthegrimnessofRollsCourtwhen,fivehourslater,Mr。Clodd’snailedbootsechoedagainuponitsunevenpavement;butMr。Cloddhadnoeyeformoonorstarsorsuch—like;alwayshehadthingsmoreimportanttothinkof。
  "Seentheold’umbug?"askedMrs。Postwhistle,whowaspartialtotheair,leadingthewayintotheparlour。
  "Firstandforemostcommenced,"Mr。Clodd,ashelaidasidehishat,"itisquiteunderstoodthatyoureallydowanttogetridofhim?What’sthat?"demandedMr。Clodd,aheavythuduponthefloorabovehavingcausedhimtostartoutofhischair。
  "’Ecameinanhourafteryou’dgone,"explainedMrs。Postwhistle,"bringingwithhimacurtainpoleas’e’dpickedupforashillinginClareMarket。’E’srestedoneenduponthemantelpieceandtiedtheothertothebackoftheeasy—chair——’isideaistotwine’imselfrounditandgotosleepuponit。Yes,you’vegotitquiterightwithoutasingleblunder。Idowanttogetridof’im"
  "Then,"saidMr。Clodd,reseatinghimself,"itcanbedone。"
  "ThankGodforthat!"wasMrs。Postwhistle’spiousejaculation。
  "ItisjustasIthought,"continuedMr。Clodd。"Theoldinnocent—
  —he’sGladman’sbrother—in—law,bytheway——hasgotasmallannuity。Icouldn’tgettheactualfigure,butIguessit’saboutsufficienttopayforhiskeepandleaveoldGladman,whoisrunninghim,averydecentprofit。Theydon’twanttosendhimtoanasylum。Theycan’tsayhe’sapauper,andtoputhimintoaprivateestablishmentwouldswallowup,mostlikely,thewholeofhisincome。Ontheotherhand,theydon’twantthebotheroflookingafterhimthemselves。Italkedprettystraighttotheoldman——lethimseeIunderstoodthebusiness;and——well,tocutalongstoryshort,I’mwillingtotakeonthejob,providedyoureallywanttohavedonewithit,andGladmaniswillinginthatcasetoletyouoffyourcontract。"
  Mrs。PostwhistlewenttothecupboardtogetMr。Cloddadrink。
  Anotherthuduponthefloorabove——onesuggestiveofexceptionalvelocity——arrivedattheprecisemomentwhenMrs。Postwhistle,thetumblerlevelwithhereye,wasintheactofmeasuring。
  "Icallthismakingadisturbance,"saidMrs。Postwhistle,regardingthebrokenfragments。
  "It’sonlyforanothernight,"comfortedherMr。Clodd。"I’lltakehimawaysometimeto—morrow。Meanwhile,ifIwereyou,IshouldspreadamattressunderneaththatperchofhisbeforeIwenttobed。Ishouldlikehimhandedovertomeinreasonablerepair。"
  "Itwilldeadenthesoundabit,any’ow,"agreedMrs。Postwhistle。
  "Successtotemperance,"drankMr。Clodd,androsetogo。
  "Itakeityou’vefixedthingsupallrightforyourself,"saidMrs。Postwhistle;"andnobodycanblameyouifyou’ave。’Eavenblessyou,iswhatIsay。"
  "Weshallgetontogether,"prophesiedMr。Clodd。"I’mfondofanimals。"
  Earlythenextmorningafour—wheeledcabdrewupattheentrancetoRollsCourt,andinitanduponitwentawayCloddandClodd’sLunatic(asafterwardshecametobeknown),togetherwithallthebelongingsofClodd’sLunatic,thecurtain—poleincluded;andthereappearedagainbehindthefanlightofthelittlegrocer’sshoptheintimation:"LodgingsforaSingleMan,"whichcaughttheeyeafewdayslaterofaweird—looking,lanky,rawbonedladdie,whoselanguageMrs。Postwhistlefounddifficultyforatimeincomprehending;andthatiswhyonesometimesmeetsto—dayworshippersofKailYardliteraturewanderingdisconsolatelyaboutSt。Dunstan—in—the—West,seekingRollsCourt,discomfortedbecauseitisnomore。Butthatisthehistoryofthe"WeeLaddie,"andthisofthebeginningsofWilliamClodd,nowSirWilliamClodd,Bart。,M。P。,proprietorofaquarterofahundrednewspapers,magazines,andjournals:"TruthfulBilly"wecalledhimthen。
  NoonecansayofCloddthathedidnotdeservewhateverprofithisunlicensedlunaticasylummayhavebroughthim。AkindlymanwasWilliamCloddwhenindulgenceinsentimentdidnotinterferewithbusiness。
  "There’snoharminhim,"assertedMr。Clodd,talkingthematteroverwithoneMr。PeterHope,journalist,ofGoughSquare。"He’sjustabitdotty,sameasyouorImightgetwithnothingtodoandalldaylongtodoitin。Kid’splay,that’sallitis。Thebestplan,Ifind,istotreatitasagameandtakeahandinit。Lastweekhewantedtobealion。Icouldseethatwasgoingtobeawkward,heroaringforrawmeatandthinkingtoprowlaboutthehouseatnight。Well,Ididn’tnaghim——that’snogood。Ijustgotagunandshothim。He’saducknow,andI’mtryingtokeephimone:sitsforanhourbesidehisbathonthreechinaeggsI’veboughthim。Wishsomeofthesaneoneswereaslittletrouble。"
  Thesummercameagain。CloddandhisLunatic,amild—lookinglittleoldgentlemanofsomewhatclericalcut,oneoftenmetwitharm—in—arm,bustlingaboutthestreetsandcourtsthatwerethesceneofClodd’srent—collectinglabours。Theirevidentattachmenttooneanotherwascuriouslydisplayed;Clodd,theyoungandred—
  haired,treatinghiswhite—haired,witheredcompanionwithfatherlyindulgence;theotherglancingupfromtimetotimeintoClodd’sfacewithawinningexpressionofinfantileaffection。
  "Wearegettingmuchbetter,"explainedClodd,thepairmeetingPeterHopeonedayatthecornerofNewcastleStreet。"Themoreweareoutintheopenair,andthemorewehavetodoandthinkabout,thebetterforus——eh?"
  Themild—lookinglittleoldgentlemanhangingonClodd’sarmsmiledandnodded。
  "Betweenourselves,"addedMr。Clodd,sinkinghisvoice,"wearenothalfasfoolishasfolksthinkweare。"
  PeterHopewenthiswaydowntheStrand。
  "Clodd’sagoodsort——agoodsort,"saidPeterHope,who,havinginhistimelivedmuchalone,hadfallenintothehabitofspeakinghisthoughtsaloud;"buthe’snotthemantowastehistime。I
  wonder。"
  WiththewinterClodd’sLunaticfellill。
  CloddbustledroundtoChanceryLane。
  "Totellyouthetruth,"confessedMr。Gladman,"weneverthoughthewouldlivesolongashehas。"
  "There’stheannuityyou’vegottothinkof,"saidClodd,whomhisadmirersofto—day(andtheyaremany,forhemustbeamillionairebythistime)arefondofalludingtoas"thatfrank,outspokenEnglishman。""Wouldn’titbeworthyourwhiletotrywhattakinghimawayfromthefogsmightdoforhim?"
  OldGladmanseemedinclinedtoconsiderthequestion,butMrs。
  Gladman,abrisk,cheerfullittlewoman,hadmadeuphermind。
  "We’vehadwhatthereistohave,"saidMrs。Gladman。"He’sseventy—three。What’sthesenseofriskinggoodmoney?Becontent。"
  Noonecouldsay——nooneeverdidsay——thatClodd,underthecircumstances,didnotdohisbest。Perhaps,afterall,nothingcouldhavehelped。Thelittleoldgentleman,atClodd’ssuggestion,playedatbeingadormouseandlayverystill。Ifhegrewrestless,therebybringingonhiscough,Clodd,asaterribleblackcat,waswatchingtopounceuponhim。OnlybykeepingveryquietandartfullypretendingtobeasleepcouldhehopetoescapetheruthlessClodd。
  DoctorWilliamSmith(neWilhelmSchmidt)shruggedhisfatshoulders。"Wecandonoding。Desefogsofours:idisdeonetingdatenablestheforeignertocrowoverus。Keephimquiet。
  Dedormouse——idisagootidea。"
  ThateveningWilliamCloddmountedtothesecondfloorof16,GoughSquare,wheredwelthisfriend,PeterHope,andknockedbrisklyatthedoor。
  "Comein,"saidadecidedvoice,whichwasnotPeterHope’s。
  Mr。WilliamClodd’sambitionwas,andalwayshadbeen,tobetheownerorpart—ownerofapaper。To—day,asIhavesaid,heownsaquarterofahundred,andisinnegotiation,sorumourgoes,forsevenmore。Buttwentyyearsago"CloddandCo。,Limited,"wasbutinembryo。AndPeterHope,journalist,hadlikewiseandformanyalongyearcherishedtheambitiontobe,beforehedied,theownerorpart—ownerofapaper。PeterHopeto—dayownsnothing,exceptperhapstheknowledge,ifsuchthingsbepermitted,thatwheneverandwhereverhisnameismentioned,kindthoughtsariseunbidden——
  thatsomeoneofthepartywillsurelysay:"DearoldPeter!Whatagoodfellowhewas!"Whichalsomaybeinitswayavaluablepossession:whoknows?ButtwentyyearsagoPeter’shorizonwaslimitedbyFleetStreet。
  PeterHopewasforty—seven,sohesaid,adreamerandascholar。
  WilliamCloddwasthree—and—twenty,abornhustler,verywideawake。Meetingonedaybyaccidentuponanomnibus,whenCloddlentPeter,whohadcomeoutwithouthispurse,threepencetopayhisfarewith;driftingintoacquaintanceship,eachhadcometoacquirealikingandrespectfortheother。ThedreamerthoughtwithwonderofClodd’sshrewdpracticability;thecuteyoungmanofbusinesswaslostinadmirationofwhatseemedtohimhisoldfriend’smarvellouslearning。BothhadarrivedattheconclusionthataweeklyjournalwithPeterHopeaseditor,andWilliamCloddasmanager,wouldbeboundtobesuccessful。
  "Ifonlywecouldscrapetogetherathousandpounds!"hadsighedPeter。
  "Themomentwelayourhandsuponthecoin,we’llstartthatpaper。
  Remember,it’sabargain,"hadansweredWilliamClodd。
  Mr。WilliamCloddturnedthehandleandwalkedin。Withthedoorstillinhishandhepausedtolookroundtheroom。Itwasthefirsttimehehadseenit。HismeetingshithertowithPeterHopehadbeenchancerencontresinstreetorrestaurant。Alwayshadhebeencurioustoviewthesanctuaryofsomucherudition。
  Alarge,oak—panelledroom,itsthreehighwindows,eachwithalow,cushionedseatbeneathit,givingontoGoughSquare。Thirty—
  fiveyearsbefore,PeterHope,thenayoungdandywithsidewhiskersclose—croppedandterminatingjustbelowtheear;withwavy,brownhair,givingtohisfresh—complexionedfaceanappearancealmostgirlish;incut—awaybluecoat,floweredwaistcoat,blacksilkcravatsecuredbytwogoldpinschainedtogether,andtightlystrappedgreytrouserings,had,aidedandabettedbyafragilelittleladyincrinolineandmuch—flouncedskirt,andbodicesomewhatlow,withcorkscrewcurlseachmovementofherheadsetringing,plannedandfurnisheditinaccordancewiththesobercanonstheninvogue,spendingthereuponmorethantheyshould,asistobeexpectedfromtheyoungtowhomthefuturepromisesallthings。ThefineBrusselscarpet!Alittletoobright,hadthoughttheshakingcurls。"Thecolourswilltonedown,miss——ma’am。"Theshopmanknew。OnlybythehelpoftheroundislandunderneaththemassiveEmpiretable,byexcursionsintountroddencorners,couldPeterrecollecttherainbowfloorhisfeethadpressedwhenhewastwenty—one。Thenoblebookcase,surmountedbyMinerva’sbust。Reallyitwastooexpensive。Butthenoddingcurlshadbeensoobstinate。Peter’ssillybooksandpapersmustbeputawayinorder;thecurlsdidnotintendtopermitanyexcuseforuntidiness。So,too,thehandsome,brass—
  bounddesk;itmustbeworthyofthebeautifulthoughtsPeterwouldpenuponit。Thegreatsideboard,supportedbytwosuchangry—
  lookingmahoganylions;itmustbestrongtosupporttheweightofsilvercleverPeterwouldonedaypurchasetoplaceuponit。Thefewoilpaintingsintheirheavyframes。Asolidlyfurnished,soberapartment;aboutitthatsubtleatmosphereofdignityonefindsbutinoldroomslongundisturbed,whereoneseemstoreaduponthewalls:"I,JoyandSorrow,twaininone,havedwelthere。"Oneitemonlytherewasthatseemedoutofplaceamongitsgravesurroundings——aguitar,hangingfromthewall,ornamentedwitharidiculousbluebow,somewhatfaded。
  "Mr。WilliamClodd?"demandedthedecidedvoice。
  Cloddstartedandclosedthedoor。
  "Guesseditinonce,"admittedMr。Clodd。
  "Ithoughtso,"saidthedecidedvoice。"Wegotyournotethisafternoon。Mr。Hopewillbebackateight。Willyoukindlyhangupyourhatandcoatinthehall?Youwillfindaboxofcigarsonthemantelpiece。Excusemybeingbusy。Imustfinishthis,thenI’lltalktoyou。"
  Theownerofthedecidedvoicewentonwriting。Clodd,havingdoneashewasbid,sathimselfintheeasy—chairbeforethefireandsmoked。OfthepersonbehindthedeskMr。Cloddcouldseebuttheheadandshoulders。Ithadblack,curlyhair,cutshort。It’sonlygarmentvisiblebelowthewhitecollarandredtiemighthavebeenaboy’sjacketdesignedmorelikeagirl’s,oragirl’sdesignedmorelikeaboy’s;partakingofthegeniusofEnglishstatesmanship,itappearedtobeacompromise。Mr。Cloddremarkedthelong,droopinglashesoverthebright,blackeyes。
  "It’sagirl,"saidMr。Cloddtohimself;"ratheraprettygirl。"
  Mr。Clodd,continuingdownward,arrivedatthenose。
  "No,"saidMr。Cloddtohimself,"it’saboy——acheekyyoungbeggar,Ishouldsay。"
  Thepersonatthedesk,givingagruntofsatisfaction,gatheredtogethersheetsofmanuscriptandarrangedthem;then,restingitselbowsonthedeskandtakingitsheadbetweenitshands,regardedMr。Clodd。
  "Don’tyouhurryyourself,"saidMr。Clodd;"butwhenyoureallyhavefinished,tellmewhatyouthinkofme。"
  "Ibegyourpardon,"apologisedthepersonatthedesk。"Ihavegotintoahabitofstaringatpeople。Iknowit’srude。I’mtryingtobreakmyselfofit。"
  "Tellmeyourname,"suggestedMr。Clodd,"andI’llforgiveyou。"
  "Tommy,"wastheanswer——"ImeanJane。"
  "Makeupyourmind,"advisedMr。Clodd;"don’tletmeinfluenceyou。Ionlywantthetruth。"
  "Yousee,"explainedthepersonatthedesk,"everybodycallsmeTommy,becausethatusedtobemyname。Butnowit’sJane。"
  "Isee,"saidMr。Clodd。"AndwhichamItocallyou?"
  Thepersonatthedeskpondered。"Well,ifthisschemeyouandMr。
  Hopehavebeentalkingaboutreallycomestoanything,weshallbeagooddealthrowntogether,yousee,andthenIexpectyou’llcallmeTommy——mostpeopledo。"
  "You’veheardaboutthescheme?Mr。Hopehastoldyou?"
  "Why,ofcourse,"repliedTommy。"I’mMr。Hope’sdevil。"
  ForthemomentClodddoubtedwhetherhisoldfriendhadnotstartedarivalestablishmenttohisown。
  "Ihelphiminhiswork,"Tommyrelievedhismindbyexplaining。
  "Injournalisticcircleswecallitdevilling。"
  "Iunderstand,"saidMr。Clodd。"Andwhatdoyouthink,Tommy,ofthescheme?ImayaswellstartcallingyouTommy,because,betweenyouandme,Ithinktheideawillcometosomething。"
  Tommyfixedherblackeyesuponhim。Sheseemedtobelookinghimrightthrough。
  "Youarestaringagain,Tommy,"Cloddremindedher。"You’llhavetroublebreakingyourselfofthathabit,Icansee。"
  "Iwastryingtomakeupmymindaboutyou。Everythingdependsuponthebusinessman。"
  "Gladtohearyousayso,"repliedtheself—satisfiedClodd。
  "Ifyouareveryclever——Doyoumindcomingnearertothelamp?I
  can’tquiteseeyouoverthere。"
  Cloddnevercouldunderstandwhyhedidit——nevercouldunderstandwhy,fromfirsttolast,healwaysdidwhatTommywishedhimtodo;
  hisonlyconsolationbeingthatotherfolksseemedjustashelpless。Heroseand,crossingthelongroom,stoodatattentionbeforethelargedesk,nervousness,towhichhewassomewhatofastranger,takingpossessionofhim。
  "Youdon’tLOOKveryclever。"
  Cloddexperiencedanothernewsensation——thatoffallinginhisownestimation。
  "AndyetonecanseethatyouAREclever。"
  ThemercuryofClodd’sconceitshotupwardtoapointthatinthecaseofanyonelessphysicallyrobustmighthavebeendangeroustohealth。
  Cloddheldouthishand。"We’llpullitthrough,Tommy。TheGuv’norshallfindtheliterature;youandIwillmakeitgo。I
  likeyou。"
  AndPeterHope,enteringatthemoment,caughtasparkfromthelightthatshoneintheeyesofWilliamCloddandTommy,whoseothernamewasJane,as,grippinghands,theystoodwiththedeskbetweenthem,laughingtheyknewnotwhy。AndtheyearsfellfromoldPeter,and,againaboy,healsolaughedheknewnotwhy。Hehadsippedfromthewine—cupofyouth。
  "It’sallsettled,Guv’nor!"criedClodd。"TommyandIhavefixedthingsup。We’llstartwiththeNewYear。"
  "You’vegotthemoney?"
  "I’mreckoningonit。Idon’tseeverywellhowIcanmissit。"
  "Sufficient?"
  "Justabout。Yougettowork。"
  "I’vesavedalittle,"beganPeter。"Itoughttohavebeenmore,butsomehowitisn’t。"
  "Perhapsweshallwantit,"Cloddreplied;"perhapsweshan’t。Youaresupplyingthebrains。"
  Thethreeforafewmomentsremainedsilent。
  "Ithink,Tommy,"saidPeter,"IthinkabottleoftheoldMadeira—
  —"
  "Notto—night,"saidClodd;"nexttime。"
  "Todrinksuccess,"urgedPeter。
  "Oneman’ssuccessgenerallymeanssomeotherpoordevil’smisfortune,"answeredClodd。
  "Can’tbehelped,ofcourse,butdon’twanttothinkaboutitto—
  night。Mustbegettingbacktomydormouse。Goodnight。"
  Cloddshookhandsandbustledout。
  "Ithoughtasmuch,"musedPeteraloud。
  "Whatanoddmixturethemanis!Kind——noonecouldhavebeenkindertothepooroldfellow。Yetallthewhile——Weareanoddmixture,Tommy,"saidPeterHope,"anoddmixture,wemenandwomen。"Peterwasaphilosopher。
  Thewhite—whiskeredolddormousesooncoughedhimselftosleepforever。
  "Ishallwantyouandthemissistocometothefuneral,Gladman,"
  saidMr。Clodd,asheswungintothestationer’sshop;"andbringPincerwithyou。I’mwritingtohim。"
  "Don’tseewhatgoodwecando,"demurredGladman。
  "Well,youthreearehisonlyrelatives;it’sonlydecentyoushouldbepresent,"urgedClodd。"Besides,there’sthewilltoberead。Youmaycaretohearit。"
  Thedryoldlawstationeropenedwidehiswateryeyes。
  "Hiswill!Why,whathadhegottoleave?Therewasnothingbuttheannuity。"
  "Youturnupatthefuneral,"Cloddtoldhim,"andyou’lllearnallaboutit。Bonner’sclerkwillbethereandwillbringitwithhim。
  Everythingisgoingtobedonecommeilfaut,astheFrenchsay。"
  "Ioughttohaveknownofthis,"beganMr。Gladman。
  "Gladtofindyoutakingsomuchinterestintheoldchap,"saidClodd。"Pityhe’sdeadandcan’tthankyou。"
  "Iwarnyou,"shoutedoldGladman,whosevoicewasrisingtoascream,"hewasahelplessimbecile,incapableofactingforhimself!Ifanyundueinfluence——"
  "SeeyouonFriday,"brokeinClodd,whowasbusy。
  Friday’sceremonywasnotasociableaffair。Mrs。GladmanspokeoccasionallyinashrillwhispertoMr。Gladman,whorepliedwithgrunts。BothemployedtheremainderoftheirtimeinscowlingatClodd。Mr。Pincer,astout,heavygentlemanconnectedwiththeHouseofCommons,maintainedaministerialreserve。Theundertaker’sforemanexpressedhimselfasthankfulwhenitwasover。Hecriticiseditasthehumpiestfuneralhehadeverknown;
  foratimehehadseriousthoughtsofchanginghisprofession。
  Thesolicitor’sclerkwaswaitingforthepartyonitsreturnfromKensalGreen。Cloddagainofferedhospitality。Mr。Pincerthistimeallowedhimselfaglassofweakwhisky—and—water,andsippeditwithanairofdoingsowithoutprejudice。Theclerkhadonealittlestronger,Mrs。Gladman,dispensingwithconsultation,declinedshrillyforselfandpartner。Clodd,explainingthathealwaysfollowedlegalprecedent,mixedhimselfonealsoanddrank"Toournexthappymeeting。"Thentheclerkread。
  Itwasashortandsimplewill,datedthepreviousAugust。Itappearedthattheoldgentleman,unknowntohisrelatives,haddiedpossessedofsharesinasilvermine,oncedespairedof,nowprospering。Takingthematpresentvalue,theywouldproduceasumwellovertwothousandpounds。Theoldgentlemanhadbequeathedfivehundredpoundstohisbrother—in—law,Mr。Gladman;fivehundredpoundstohisonlyotherlivingrelative,hisfirstcousin,Mr。Pincer;theresiduetohisfriend,WilliamClodd,asareturnforthemanykindnessesthatgentlemanhadshownhim。
  Mr。Gladmanrose,moreamusedthanangry。
  "Andyouthinkyouaregoingtopocketthatonethousandtotwelvehundredpounds。Youreallydo?"heaskedMr。Clodd,who,withlegsstretchedoutbeforehim,satwithhishandsdeepinhistrouserspockets。
  "That’stheidea,"admittedMr。Clodd。
  Mr。Gladmanlaughed,butwithoutmuchlighteningtheatmosphere。
  "Uponmyword,Clodd,youamuseme——youquiteamuseme,"repeatedMr。Gladman。
  "Youalwayshadasenseofhumour,"commentedMr。Clodd。
  "Youvillain!Youdouble—dyedvillain!"screamedMr。Gladman,suddenlychanginghistone。"Youthinkthelawisgoingtoallowyoutoswindlehonestmen!Youthinkwearegoingtositstillforyoutorobus!Thatwill——"Mr。Gladmanpointedalankforefingerdramaticallytowardsthetable。
  "Youmeantodisputeit?"inquiredMr。Clodd。
  ForamomentMr。Gladmanstoodaghastattheother’scoolness,butsoonfoundhisvoiceagain。
  "Disputeit!"heshrieked。"Doyoudisputethatyouinfluencedhim?——dictatedittohimwordforword,madethepooroldhelplessidiotsignit,heutterlyincapableofevenunderstanding——"
  "Don’tchattersomuch,"interruptedMr。Clodd。"It’snotaprettyvoice,yours。WhatIaskedyouwas,doyouintendtodisputeit?"
  "Ifyouwillkindlyexcuseus,"struckinMrs。Gladman,addressingMr。Cloddwithanairofmuchpoliteness,"weshalljusthavetime,ifwegonow,tocatchoursolicitorbeforeheleaveshisoffice。"
  Mr。Gladmantookuphishatfromunderneathhischair。
  "Onemoment,"suggestedMr。Clodd。"Ididinfluencehimtomakethatwill。Ifyoudon’tlikeit,there’sanendofit。"
  "Ofcourse,"commencedMr。Gladmaninamollifiedtone。
  "Sitdown,"suggestedMr。Clodd。"Let’stryanotherone。"Mr。
  Cloddturnedtotheclerk。"Thepreviousone,Mr。Wright,ifyouplease;theonedatedJunethe10th。"
  Anequallyshortandsimpledocument,itbequeathedthreehundredpoundstoMr。WilliamCloddinacknowledgmentofkindnessesreceived,theresiduetotheRoyalZoologicalSocietyofLondon,thedeceasedhavingbeenalwaysinterestedinandfondofanimals。
  Therelatives,"Whohavenevershownmetheslightestaffectionorgiventhemselvestheslightesttroubleconcerningme,andwhohavealreadyreceivedconsiderablesumsoutofmyincome,"beingbynameexcluded。
  "Imaymention,"observedMr。Clodd,nooneelseappearinginclinedtobreakthesilence,"thatinsuggestingtheRoyalZoologicalSocietytomypooroldfriendasafittingobjectforhisbenevolence,Ihadinmindaverysimilarcasethatoccurredfiveyearsago。Abequesttothemwasdisputedonthegroundsthatthetestatorwasofunsoundmind。TheyhadtotaketheircasetotheHouseofLordsbeforetheyfinallywonit。"
  "Anyhow,"remarkedMr。Gladman,lickinghislips,whichweredry,"youwon’tgetanything,Mr。Clodd——no,notevenyourthree—hundredpounds,cleverasyouthinkyourself。Mybrother—in—law’smoneywillgotothelawyers。"
  ThenMr。Pincerroseandspokeslowlyandclearly。"Iftheremustbealunaticconnectedwithourfamily,whichIdon’tseewhythereshouldbe,itseemstometobeyou,NathanielGladman。"
  Mr。Gladmanstaredbackwithopenmouth。Mr。Pincerwentonimpressively。
  "AsformypooroldcousinJoe,hehadhiseccentricities,butthatwasall。IforoneampreparedtoswearthathewasofsoundmindinAugustlastandquitecapableofmakinghisownwill。Itseemstomethattheotherthing,datedinJune,isjustwastepaper。"
  Mr。Pincerhavingdeliveredhimself,satdownagain。Mr。Gladmanshowedsignsofreturninglanguage。
  "Oh!what’stheuseofquarrelling?"chirpedincheeryMrs。
  Gladman。"It’sfivehundredpoundsweneverexpected。LiveandletliveiswhatIalwayssay。"
  "It’sthedamnedartfulnessofthething,"saidMr。Gladman,stillverywhiteaboutthegills。
  "Oh,youhavealittlesomethingtothawyourface,"suggestedhiswife。
  Mr。andMrs。Gladman,onthestrengthofthefivehundredpounds,wenthomeinacab。Mr。PincerstayedbehindandmadeanightofitwithMr。CloddandBonner’sclerk,atClodd’sexpense。
  Theresidueworkedoutatelevenhundredandsixty—ninepoundsandafewshillings。Thecapitalofthenewcompany,"establishedforthepurposeofcarryingonthebusinessofnewspaperpublishersanddistributors,printers,advertisingagents,andanyothertradeandenterpriseaffiliatedtothesame,"wasonethousandpoundsinonepoundshares,fullypaidup;ofwhichWilliamClodd,Esquire,wasregisteredproprietoroffourhundredandsixty—three;PeterHope,M。A。,of16,GoughSquare,ofalsofourhundredandsixty—three;
  MissJaneHope,adopteddaughterofsaidPeterHope(herrealnamenobody,herselfincluded,everhavingknown),andgenerallycalledTommy,ofthree,paidforbyherselfafterabattleroyalwithWilliamClodd;Mrs。Postwhistle,ofRollsCourt,often,presentedbythepromoter;Mr。Pincer,oftheHouseofCommons,alsooften(stillowingfor);Dr。Smith(neSchmidt)offifty;JamesDouglasAlexanderCalderMcTear(otherwisethe"WeeLaddie"),residingtheninMrs。Postwhistle’sfirstfloorfront,ofone,paidforbypoempublishedinthefirstnumber:"TheSongofthePen。"
  Choosingatitleforthepapercostmuchthought。Driventodespair,theycalleditGoodHumour。
  STORYTHETHIRD:GrindleyJuniordropsintothePositionofPublisherFewarethewaysoftheWestCentraldistrictthathavechangedlesswithinthelasthalf—centurythanNevill’sCourt,leadingfromGreatNewStreetintoFetterLane。Itsnorthsidestillconsistsofthesamequaintrowofsmalllowshopsthatstoodthere——doingperhapsalittlebriskerbusiness——whenGeorgetheFourthwasKing;
  itssouthernsideofthesamethreesubstantialhouseseachbehindastripofgarden,pleasantbycontrastwithsurroundinggrimness,builtlongago——somesaybeforeQueenAnnewasdead。
  Outofthelargestofthese,passingthroughthegarden,thenwellcaredfor,cameonesunnySundaymorning,somefifteenyearsbeforethecommencementproperofthisstory,oneSolomonAppleyard,pushinginfrontofhimaperambulator。Atthebrickwallsurmountedbywoodenrailingsthatdividesthegardenfromthecourt,Solomonpaused,hearingbehindhimthevoiceofMrs。
  Appleyardspeakingfromthedoorstep。
  "IfIdon’tseeyouagainuntildinner—time,I’lltryandgetonwithoutyou,understand。Don’tthinkofnothingbutyourpipeandforgetthechild。Andbecarefulofthecrossings。"
  Mrs。Appleyardretiredintothedarkness。Solomon,steeringtheperambulatorcarefully,emergedfromNevill’sCourtwithoutaccident。ThequietstreetsdrewSolomonwestward。AvacantseatbeneaththeshadeoverlookingtheLongWaterinKensingtonGardensinvitedtorest。
  "Piper?"suggestedasmallboytoSolomon。"SundayTimes,’Server?"
  "Myboy,"saidMr。Appleyard,speakingslowly,"whenyou’vebeenmewedupwithnewspaperseighteenhoursadayforsixdaysaweek,youcandowithout’emforamorning。Take’emaway。Iwanttoforgetthesmellof’em。"
  Solomon,havingassuredhimselfthatthepartyintheperambulatorwasstillbreathing,crossedhislegsandlithispipe。
  "Hezekiah!"
  TheexclamationhadbeenwrungfromSolomonAppleyardbytheapproachofastout,shortmancladinaremarkablyill—fittingbroad—clothsuit。
  "What,Sol,myboy?"
  "Itlookedlikeyou,"saidSolomon。"AndthenIsaidtomyself:
  ’No;surelyitcan’tbeHezekiah;he’llbeatchapel。’"
  "Yourunabout,"saidHezekiah,addressingayouthofsomefoursummershehadbeenleadingbythehand。"Don’tyougooutofmysight;andwhateveryoudo,don’tyoudoinjurytothosenewclothesofyours,oryou’llwishyou’dneverbeenputintothem。
  Thetruthis,"continuedHezekiahtohisfriend,hissolesurvivingsonandheirbeingoutofearshot,"themorningtemptedme。