while to stay with us, and to settle his business, which I was
sure had been wofully mismanaged, and to see whether we could not find
the means of getting some little out of the wreck of the property for
the boy yonder.

At first Colonel Newcome would not hear of quitting Boulogne, where
Rosey would miss him--he was sure she would want him--but before the
ladies of his family, to whom we presently returned, Thomas Newcome's
resolution was quickly recalled. He agreed to go, and Clive coming in at
this time was put in possession of our plan and gladly acquiesced in it.
On that very evening I came with a carriage to conduct my two friends
to the steamboat. Their little packets were made and ready. There was no
pretence of grief at parting on the women's side, but Marie, the little
maid, with Boy in her arms, cried sadly; and Clive heartily embraced the
child; and the Colonel, going back to give it one more kiss, drew out of
his neckcloth a little gold brooch which he wore, and which, trembling,
he put into Marie's hand, bidding her take good care of Boy till his
return.

"She is a good girl--a most faithful, attached girl, Arthur, do you
see," the kind old gentleman said; "and I had no money to give her--no,
not one single rupee."

CHAPTER LXXIV. In which Clive begins the World

We are ending our history, and yet poor Clive is but beginning the
world. He has to earn the bread which he eats henceforth; and, as I
saw his labours, his trials, and his disappointments, I could not but
compare his calling with my own.

The drawbacks and penalties attendant upon our profession are taken into
full account, as we well know, by literary men, and their friends.
Our poverty, hardships, and disappointments are set forth with great
emphasis, and often with too great truth by those who speak of us; but
there are advantages belonging to our trade which are passed over, I
think, by some of those who exercise it and describe it, and for
which, in striking the balance of our accounts, we are not always duly
thankful. We have no patron, so to speak--we sit in ante-chambers no
more, waiting the present of a few guineas from my lord, in return for a
fulsome dedication. We sell our wares to the book-purveyor, between
whom and us there is no greater obligation than between him and his
paper-maker or printer. In the great towns in our country immense
stores of books are provided for us, with librarians to class them, kind
attendants