Stranica 167 [167]
121
one comfort. We must make the best
of it we can; and, if bad "s the best, it’s
no fault of ours. Come in.”
6 Well, master,” said Blathers, enter¬
ing the room, followed by his colleague,
and making the door fast before he said
any more. “ This warn’t a _ put-up
thing.”
‘“ And what the devil’s a put-up thing !”
demanded the doctor impatiently.
“We call it a put-up robbery, ladies,”
said Blathers, turning to them, as if he
compassioned their ignorance, but had a
contempt for the doctor’s “ when the ser¬
vants is in it.”
*‘ Nobedy suspected them in this case,”
said Mrs. Maylie.
“Wery likely not, ma’am,” replied
Blathers, “ but they might have been in
it, for all that.”
‘“‘ More likely on that wery account,”
said Duff.
“We find it was a town hand,” said
Blathers, continuing his report; "for the
style of work is first-rate.”
Wery pretty indeed, it is,” remarked
Duff in an under tone.
s There was two of "em in it,” con¬
tinued Blathers, “and they had a boy
with ’em; that’s plain, from the size of
the window. That’s all to be said at
present. We'll see this lad that you’ve
got up stairs at once, if you please.”
c Perhaps they will take something to
drink first, Mrs. Maylie ?? said the doc¬
tor, his face brightening up as if some
new thought had occurred to him.
“Oh! to be sure!” exclaimed Rose,
eagerly. ‘ You shall have it immediate¬
ly, if you will.”
c Why, thank you, Miss!” said Blathers,
drawing his coat-sleeve across his mouth:
“it’s dry work this sort of duty. Any¬
thing that’s handy, Miss; don’t put
yourself out of the way on our accounts.”
* What shall it be?” asked the doctor,
following the young lady to the side¬
board.
6 A little drop of spirits, master, if it’s
all the same,” replied Blathers.
cold ride from London, ma’am, and I al¬
ways find that spirits comes home warmer
to the feelings." |
This interesting communication was
addressed to Mrs. Maylie, who received
it very graciously. While it was being
conveyed to her, the doctor slipped out
of the room. .
“Ah!” said Mr. Blathers, not holding
his wine-glass by the stem, but grasping
the bottom between the thumb and fore¬
11 Q
front of his chest. "I have seen a good
many pieces of business like this in my
time, ladies."
“ That crack down in the back lane at
Edmonton, Blathers,” said Mr. Duff, as¬
sisting his colleague’s memory.
“That was something in this way,
warn’t it?" rejoined Mr. Blathers ; that
was done by Conkey Chickweed, that
was."
“ You always gave that to him," re¬
plied Duff “It was the Family Pet, I
tell you, and Conkey had n’t any more to
do with it than I had.”
cc Get out!” retorted Mr. Blathers: “I
know better. Do you mind that time
Conkey was robbed of his money, though?
What a start that was! better than any
novel-book I ever see!"
c What was that?’ inquired Rose,
anxious to encourage wes symptoms of
good humour in the unwelcome visitors.
“It was a robbery, Miss, that hardly
any body would have been down upon,”
said Blathers. ‘ ‘This here Conkey Chick
weed "
“ Conkey means Nosey, ma’am,” inter¬
posed Du
6 Of course the lady knows that, don’t
she?” demanded Mr. Blathers. " Always
interrupting you are, partner. This here
Conkey Chickweed, Miss, kept a public¬
house over Battle-bridge way, and had a
cellar where a good many young lords
went to see cockfighting, and badger¬
drawing, and that; and a wery intellec¬
tual manner the sports was conducted in,
for I’ve seen "em off’en. He warn’t one
of the family at that time; and one night
he was robbed of three hundred and
twenty-seven guineas in a canvas-bag,
that was stole out of his bedroom in the
patch over his eye, who had concealed
himself under the bed, and, after com¬
window, which was only a story high,
He was wery quick about it. But Con¬
key was quick, too, for he was woke by
the noise, and, darting out of bed, fired a
blunderbuss arter him, and roused the
neighbourhood. They set up a hue-and¬
cry directly, and, when they came to
look about ’em, found that Conkey had
hit the robber, for there was traces of
blood all the way to some palings a good
distance off, and there they lost ‘em.
However he had made off with the blunt,
and, consequently, the name of Mr.
Chickweed, licensed witler, appeared in
the Gazette among the other bankrupts;
f benefits and subscrip¬