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stairs. She was on the point of yielding to the impulse of her own good-natured, though coarse feelings; but at last--] "I--I--dare say, Mr. Titmouse, you mean what's right and straightforward," she stammered. "Yes, Mrs. Squallop--you may keep those two shillings; they're the last farthing I have left in the whole world." "No--hem!--hem!--ahem! I was just suddenly a-thinking--now can't you guess, Mr. Titmouse?" "What, Mrs. Squallop?" inquired Titmouse, meekly but anxiously. "Why--suppose now--if it were only to raise ten shillings with old Balls, round the corner, on one of those fine things of yours--your ring, say!" [Titmouse's heart sank within him.] "Well, well--never mind--don't fear," said Mrs. Squallop, observing him suddenly turn pale again. "I--I only thought--but never mind! it don't signify--good-night! we can talk about that to-morrow--good-night--a good night's rest to you, Mr. Titmouse!" and the next moment he heard her heavy step descending the stairs. Some little time elapsed before he could recover from the agitation into which he had been thrown by her last proposal; but within five minutes of her quitting the room, there stood before him, on the table, an _empty_ plate and jug. CHAPTER IV. "The beast! the fat old toad!" thought he, the instant that he had finished masticating what had been supplied to him by real charity and good-nature--"the vulgar wretch!--the nasty canting old hypocrite!--I saw what she was driving at all the while!--she had her eye on my ring!--She'd have me pawn it at old Balls's--ha, ha!--Catch me! that's all!--Seven shillings a-week for this nasty hole!--I'll be bound I pay nearly half the rent of the whole house--the old cormorant!--out of what she gets from me! How I hate her! More than half my salary goes into her greasy pocket! Cuss me if I couldn't have kicked her down-stairs--porter, bread and cheese, and all--while she was standing canting there!--A snivelling old beldam!--Pawn my ring!!--Lord!!"--Here he began to undress. "Ha! I'm up to her; she'll be coming here to-morrow, with that devil Thumbscrew, to distrain, I'll be sworn. Well--I'll take care of _these_ anyhow;" and, kneeling down and unlocking his trunk, he took out of it his guard-chain, breast-pin, studs, and ring, carefully folded them up in paper, and depositing them in his trousers' pockets, resolved that henceforth their nightly resting-place should be--under his pillow; while during th
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