FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141  
142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  
things, but wanted perseverance to succeed at any. He was, at that time, in chambers in London, professing to be a general agent, and really living, to a great extent, upon his wits. Matilda managed so that most of our business should pass through his hands, which certainly saved me a great deal of trouble, but I found that Jack's commission was generally considerably larger than all the other items of the bill put together. It was this fact which made me feel inclined to rebel against any further negotiations with the young gentleman. "O yes, he could," insisted Mrs. D., seeing the look of disapprobation upon my face. "You remember how well he managed that business about the crest?" "It was only a resuscitation of the old family coat-of-arms, my dear," I protested. Matilda smiled in an irritating manner. "There was a resuscitation of the family portraits, too, dear," she remarked. "You must allow that Jack selected them very judiciously." I thought of the long line of faces which adorned the walls of my banqueting-hall, from the burly Norman robber, through every gradation of casque, plume, and ruff, to the sombre Chesterfieldian individual who appears to have staggered against a pillar in his agony at the return of a maiden MS. which he grips convulsively in his right hand. I was fain to confess that in that instance he had done his work well, and that it was only fair to give him an order--with the usual commission--for a family spectre, should such a thing be attainable. It is one of my maxims to act promptly when once my mind is made up. Noon of the next day found me ascending the spiral stone staircase which leads to Mr. Brocket's chambers, and admiring the succession of arrows and fingers upon the whitewashed wall, all indicating the direction of that gentleman's sanctum. As it happened, artificial aids of the sort were entirely unnecessary, as an animated flap-dance overhead could proceed from no other quarter, though it was replaced by a deathly silence as I groped my way up the stair. The door was opened by a youth evidently astounded at the appearance of a client, and I was ushered into the presence of my young friend, who was writing furiously in a large ledger--upside down, as I afterwards discovered. After the first greetings, I plunged into business at once. "Look here, Jack," I said, "I want you to get me a spirit, if you can." "Spirits you mean!" shouted my wife's cousin, plunging his ha
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141  
142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  



Top keywords:
business
 

family

 

commission

 
gentleman
 
resuscitation
 
managed
 

Matilda

 

chambers

 

sanctum

 

direction


attainable
 
indicating
 

happened

 

spectre

 

unnecessary

 

artificial

 

whitewashed

 

ascending

 

promptly

 

spiral


maxims
 

succession

 

arrows

 
admiring
 

Brocket

 
staircase
 
fingers
 

plunged

 

discovered

 

ledger


upside

 

shouted

 
cousin
 
plunging
 

Spirits

 
spirit
 

furiously

 

writing

 

replaced

 

deathly


silence

 

groped

 
quarter
 

overhead

 
proceed
 
client
 

appearance

 

ushered

 
presence
 

friend