THE MAN WITH THE . 



again for some time, so I'll pay you at once." He then emptied his 

 pockets of all the silver they contained, but found, on counting it, 

 that he had only eighteen shillings. " Then I must break into gold," 

 said he, " and since that is the case, let us adjourn to the parlour, and 

 I'll stand a glass of wine." With that he threw a piece of gold upon 

 the silver, and walked out of the room. 



Whilst the wine was going round, the landlady came in, and ab- 

 ruptly inquired if there was " e'er a doctor amongst us ?" 



" Because," said she, " the daughter of a poor widow woman down 

 the lane is dying, and our doctor can't attend without a fee." 



Upon this, canvas jacket quickly popped on his hat, and turning 

 to me, exclaimed, " Will you come, old snuffy ?" 



Had any one else so nicknamed me, I should have knocked him 

 down ; but diving into his charitable motives with a thought, I at 

 once signified my readiness, and we were proceeding, arm-in-arm, 

 when the coachman arrested our progress, and said that he could not 

 possibly wait a moment longer. 



tf A few minutes," said canvas. 



" I durs'n't, sir - 3 it's as much as my place is worth," was the coach- 

 man's reply. 



" Then tell your master we broke down. Don't refuse, you dog, 

 or I will damage your lynch-pins ;" and slipping something into his 

 hand, the coachman said ' ' Ah ! sir, you'll be the ruin of me ; but 

 howsumever I can't refuse you nothing, you've got sich winning 

 ways." We were about to start forward, when the gentlemen in 

 black suddenly stopped us. 



l< I have some trac ts by me," said he ; " which may serve to com- 

 fort the poor sinner." 



" Barren tracts, I'll be bound, said canvas. If you never dispense 

 more solid relief to the poor, you are cock sure of damnation, old 

 croaker " so saying, this strange man winked at me, turned on his 

 heel, and strode after a little boy who waited without to conduct us 

 down a green lane, at the extremity of which we could perceive a neat 

 cottage, in which the widow dwelt. 



What a miserable spectacle met our gaze ! In the centre of a room 

 .utterly destitute of furniture, was spread a quantity of straw, covered 

 with an old blanket ; on this was prostrate, rather than laying, the 

 form of an emaciated black-haired girl of about nineteen, and appa- 

 rently in the last stage of existence. Her only covering was a coarse 

 rug, and her only pillow a bundle of rags ! Across the room, on each 

 side of this wretched bed or pallet, a cord was stretched from wall to 

 wall, and a few worn-out garments hung upon it, as some slight 

 screen from a continued draft of air which found its way through the 

 crevices. The poor object shivered incessantly with the cold. My 

 own heart turned into a ball of ice as I looked upon her. There was 

 no grate in the chimney no fire no appearance of fuel. The walls 

 were decorated with the tattered remains of handsome paper, and a 

 few brass-headed nails here and there furnished evidence of having 

 served as supporters to pictures, and proved that the apartment had 

 riot always worn its present aspect. It was indeed a picture of deso- 

 lation. 



