ever let
anybody of his own people know where he was any day; he had several
different houses and places in different parts, and far-off counties,
and other shires, as she heard, and by times he was at one, and by times
at another.' The names of two of the places, Toddrington and Little
Wrestham, she knew; but there were others to which she could give no
direction. He had houses in odd parts of London, too, that he let; and
sometimes, when the lodgers' time was out, he would go, and be never
heard of for a month, maybe, in one of them. In short, there was no
telling or saying where he was or would be one day of the week, by where
he had been the last.'

When Lord Colambre expressed some surprise that an old gentleman, as he
conceived Mr. Ralph Reynolds to be, should change places so frequently,
the old woman answered, 'That though her master was a deal on the wrong
side of seventy, and though, to look at him, you'd think he was glued to
his chair, and would fall to pieces if he should stir out of it, yet was
as alert, and thought no more of going about, than if he was as young
as the gentleman who was now speaking to her. It was old Mr. Reynolds's
delight to come down and surprise his people at his different places,
and see that they were keeping all tight.'

'What sort of a man is he;--Is he a miser?' said Lord Colambre.

'He is a miser, and he is not a miser,' said the woman. 'Now he'd
think as much of the waste of a penny as another man would of a hundred
pounds, and yet he would give a hundred pounds easier than another would
give a penny, when he's in the humour. But his humour is very odd,
and there's no knowing where to have him; he's gross-grained, and more
POSITIVER-like than a mule; and his deafness made him worse in this,
because he never heard what nobody said, but would say on his own
way--he was very ODD but not CRACKED--no, he was as clear-headed, when
he took a thing the right way, as any man could be, and as clever, and
could talk as well as any member of Parliament,--and good-natured, and
kind-hearted, where he would take a fancy--but then, maybe, it would be
to a dog (he was remarkable fond of dogs), or a cat, or a rat even,
that he would take a fancy, and think more of 'em than he would of a
Christian. But, Poor gentleman, there's great allowance,' said she, 'to
be made for him, that lost his son and heir--that would have been heir
to all, and a fine youth that he doted upon. But,' continued the ol