"O yes, sir! Every farden."

"Very well. Then you have done all you have got to do. Say another

word--one single word--and Wemmick shall give you your money back."

This terrible threat caused the two women to fall off immediately.

No one remained now but the excitable Jew, who had already raised the

skirts of Mr. Jaggers's coat to his lips several times.

"I don't know this man!" said Mr. Jaggers, in the same devastating

strain: "What does this fellow want?"

"Ma thear Mithter Jaggerth. Hown brother to Habraham Latharuth?"

"Who's he?" said Mr. Jaggers. "Let go of my coat."

The suitor, kissing the hem of the garment again before relinquishing

it, replied, "Habraham Latharuth, on thuthpithion of plate."

"You're too late," said Mr. Jaggers. "I am over the way."

"Holy father, Mithter Jaggerth!" cried my excitable acquaintance,

turning white, "don't thay you're again Habraham Latharuth!"

"I am," said Mr. Jaggers, "and there's an end of it. Get out of the

way."

"Mithter Jaggerth! Half a moment! My hown cuthen'th gone to Mithter

Wemmick at thith prethent minute, to hoffer him hany termth. Mithter

Jaggerth! Half a quarter of a moment! If you'd have the condethenthun to

be bought off from the t'other thide--at hany thuperior prithe!--money

no object!--Mithter Jaggerth--Mithter--!"

My guardian threw his supplicant off with supreme indifference, and

left him dancing on the pavement as if it were red hot. Without further

interruption, we reached the front office, where we found the clerk and

the man in velveteen with the fur cap.

"Here's Mike," said the clerk, getting down from his stool, and

approaching Mr. Jaggers confidentially.

"Oh!" said Mr. Jaggers, turning to the man, who was pulling a lock of

hair in the middle of his forehead, like the Bull in Cock Robin pulling

at the bell-rope; "your man comes on this afternoon. Well?"

"Well, Mas'r Jaggers," returned Mike, in the voice of a sufferer from a

constitutional cold; "arter a deal o' trouble, I've found one, sir, as

might do."

"What is he prepared to swear?"

"Well, Mas'r Jaggers," said Mike, wiping his nose on his fur cap this

time; "in a general way, anythink."

Mr. Jaggers suddenly became most irate. "Now, I warned you before," said

he, throwing his forefinger at the terrified client, "that if you ever

presumed to talk in that way here, I'd make an example of you. You

infernal scoundrel, how dare you tell ME that?"




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