see you, indeed, in my--little sanctum, my withdrawing
room, if I may venture to use the name, to which I retire during the
intervals of business."

Boone said this with an air of pleasantry, and smiled, but his visitor
did not encourage him.

"Pretty long intervals, I should suppose," he growled, pulling out his
pipe and lighting it.

Boone admitted, with a sigh, that they were, and observed that trade was
extremely dull--astonishingly dull.

"Why, would you believe it, sir, I have not sold twenty shillings' worth
o' goods all last week, and only one wax-doll within the month, although
it's gettin' well on for Christmas-time? One would a'most fancy the
childr'n was about to give up such vanities an' devote themselves to
serious business. It's a serious business for the like of us, anyhow."

Again Mr Boone smiled, and again failed to make an agreeable impression
on his visitor, who demanded in a surly tone if he had been thinking
over it, and made up his mind to do it.

Boone's face changed at this indefinite question, and became a shade
paler than it was by nature, as he replied, hesitatingly, that he _had_
been thinking over it, and that he had made up his mind _not_ to do it.

"Oh, you have, have you?" said Gorman in a tone of irony. "Very good;
then I'll trouble you to pay me the three hundred pounds you owe me by
this day next week, and the rent of this here tenement for last half."

Boone's face became still paler.

"You're a hard landlord," said he.

"You're a soft tenant," retorted Gorman.

"You know what the punishment is by law," continued Boone.

"Yes--death," said the other drily; "but you know as well as I do that
it's never carried out nowadays."

"But penal servitude for ten or twenty years ain't much better."

"Some men think it's worse," replied Gorman, with a savage grin; "but
you've no need to fear. If you only take the right precautions it's
impossible to find it out, an' I'll engage to put ye up to doin' it in
such a way that there won't be a scrap the size of a sixpence left to
convict you. Only put a bold face on it and the thing's done, and your
fortune made as well as mine."

The man's voice and manner softened a little as he said this, for he
thought he perceived symptoms of wavering in his tenant, who covered his
face with his large thin hands and sighed deeply.

"Come, don't be hard on me," he said at length; "I really haven't got
courage to go through with this. Only