es to chops and sausages and a
half-a-pint, a monotonous dietary on which he subsisted until his family
returned a month later to a reinstated mansion. He lived a good deal at
The Sun during this period, relying on the society of his host and his
friend Jerry. His retrospective chats with the latter recorded his
impressions of the event which had deprived him of his household, and
left him a childless wanderer on the surface of Marylebone.

"Red-nosed Tommy," said he, referring to Mr. Bartlett, "he wouldn't have
put in that bit of bressemer to ketch up those rotten joists over
M'riar's room if I hadn't told him. We should just have had the floor
come through and p'r'aps my little maid and M'riar squashed dead right
off. You see, they would have took it all atop, and no mistake. Pore
Susan got it bad enough, but it wasn't a dead squelch in her case. It
come sideways." Uncle Mo emptied his pipe on the table, and thoughtfully
made the ash do duty first for Mrs. Burr, and then for Aunt M'riar and
Dolly, by means of a side-push and a top-squash with his finger. He
looked at the last result sadly as he refilled his pipe--a
hypothetically bereaved man. Dolly might have been as flat as that!

"How's Susan Burr getting on?" asked Mr. Alibone.

"That's according to how much money you're inclined to put on the
doctors. Going by looks only--what M'riar says--she don't give the idea
of coming to time. Only then, there's Sister Nora--Miss Grahame they
call her now; very nice lady--she's on the doctor's side, and says Mrs.
Burr means to pull round. Hope so!"

"How's Carrots--Carrots senior--young Radishes' dad?"

"Oh--him? _He's_ all right. He ain't the sort to take to bein' doctored.
He's getting about again."

"I thought a bit of wall came down on him."

"Came down bodily, he says. But it don't foller that it did, because he
says so. Anyhow, he got a hard corner of his nut against it. _He_ ain't
delicate. He says he'll have it out of the landlord--action for
damages--wilful neglect--'sorlt and battery--that kind o' thing!"

"Won't Mrs. Burr?"

"Couldn't say--don't know if a woman counts. But it don't matter. Sister
Nora, she'll see to _her_. Goes to see her every day. She or the other
one. I say, Jerry!..."

"What say, old Mo?"

"You haven't seen the other one."

"Oh, that's it, is it?" Mr. Jerry spoke perceptively, appreciatively.
For Uncle Mo, by partly closing one eye, and slightly varying the
expression of his lip