-werry grave--"Sir," says he, "it's agin our rules to
let private rooms to our lodgers on gratis terms, but," says he, "for a
gentleman, I don't mind breaking through them for once." So then he
turns round to me, and says, "Ikey, put two mould candles in the back
parlour, and charge 'em to this gen'lm'n's account," vich I did. Vell,
by-and-by a hackney-coach comes up to the door, and there, sure enough,
was the young lady, wrapped up in a hopera-cloak, as it might be, and all
alone. I opened the gate that night, so I went up when the coach come,
and he vos a waitin' at the parlour door--and wasn't he a trembling,
neither? The poor creetur see him, and could hardly walk to meet him.
"Oh, Harry!" she says, "that it should have come to this; and all for my
sake," says she, putting her hand upon his shoulder. So he puts his arm
round her pretty little waist, and leading her gently a little way into
the room, so that he might be able to shut the door, he says, so kind and
soft-like--"Why, Kate," says he--'

'Here's the gentleman you want,' said Ikey, abruptly breaking off in his
story, and introducing Mr. Gabriel Parsons to the crest-fallen Watkins
Tottle, who at that moment entered the room. Watkins advanced with a
wooden expression of passive endurance, and accepted the hand which Mr.
Gabriel Parsons held out.

'I want to speak to you,' said Gabriel, with a look strongly expressive
of his dislike of the company.

'This way,' replied the imprisoned one, leading the way to the front
drawing-room, where rich debtors did the luxurious at the rate of a
couple of guineas a day.

'Well, here I am,' said Mr. Watkins, as he sat down on the sofa; and
placing the palms of his hands on his knees, anxiously glanced at his
friend's countenance.

'Yes; and here you're likely to be,' said Gabriel, coolly, as he rattled
the money in his unmentionable pockets, and looked out of the window.

'What's the amount with the costs?' inquired Parsons, after an awkward
pause.

'Have you any money?'

'Nine and sixpence halfpenny.'

Mr. Gabriel Parsons walked up and down the room for a few seconds, before
he could make up his mind to disclose the plan he had formed; he was
accustomed to drive hard bargains, but was always most anxious to conceal
his avarice. At length he stopped short, and said, 'Tottle, you owe me
fifty pounds.'

'I do.'

'And from all I see, I infer that you are likely to owe it to me.'

'I fear I am.'

'Tho