196 GARRYOWEN 



Mr Chopping washed his hands before Miss 

 Grimshaw, for though the Frenchs were not 

 carriage people they owned horses, and were part 

 of the social state of Crowsnest; and Miss Grim- 

 shaw wondered if Mr Chopping would have washed 

 his hands so vigorously if he had known all. 



There was a big notice of the forthcoming bazaar 

 hanging behind the drapery counter. 



This bazaar had become a bugbear to the girl. 

 Amidst her other distractions she was working a 

 table-cover for it, and Effie, who was clever with 

 her needle, was embroidering a tea-cosy. If the 

 thing were a failure and the sum necessary for 

 reconstructing the choir stalls in the church were 

 not forthcoming, there was sure to be a subscrip- 

 tion, and money was horribly tight, and growing 

 tighter every day. Things had managed them- 

 selves marvellously well up to this — thanks to 

 French's luck. The unfortunate gentleman, 

 whose pocket-money, under the strict hand of 

 Miss Grimshaw, did not exceed ten shillings a 

 week, had managed to make that sum do. More 

 than that, he wore the cloak of his poverty in such 

 a way that it seemed the garment of affluence. 

 The ready laugh, the bright eye, and the jovial 

 face of Mr French made the few halfpence he 

 jingled in his pocket sound like sovereigns. He 

 played bridge with so much success that he just 

 managed to keep things even, and the rare charm of 

 his genial personahty made him a general favourite. 



" Shall we go back, or go for a little walk down 



