'Where about here?' 'Where!' cried Affery, goaded into another inspection of the keyhole.
'Where but here in this house? And she's all alone in her room, and lost
the use of her limbs and can't stir to help herself or me, and t'other
clever one's out, and Lord forgive me!' cried Affery, driven into a
frantic dance by these accumulated considerations, 'if I ain't a-going
headlong out of my mind!' Taking a warmer view of the matter now that it concerned himself, the
gentleman stepped back to glance at the house, and his eye soon rested
on the long narrow window of the little room near the hall-door.
'Where may the lady be who has lost the use of her limbs, madam?' he
inquired, with that peculiar smile which Mistress Affery could not
choose but keep her eyes upon. 'Up there!' said Affery. 'Them two windows.'
'Hah! I am of a fair size, but could not have the honour of presenting
myself in that room without a ladder. Now, madam, frankly--frankness is
a part of my character--shall I open the door for you?'
'Yes, bless you, sir, for a dear creetur, and do it at once,' cried
Affery, 'for she may be a-calling to me at this very present minute, or
may be setting herself a fire and burning herself to death, or there's
no knowing what may be happening to her, and me a-going out of my mind
at thinking of it!' 'Stay, my good madam!' He restrained her impatience with a smooth white
hand. 'Business-hours, I apprehend, are over for the day?' 'Yes, yes,
yes,' cried Affery. 'Long ago.' 'Let me make, then, a fair proposal. Fairness is a part of my character.
I am just landed from the packet-boat, as you may see.'
He showed her that his cloak was very wet, and that his boots
were saturated with water; she had previously observed that he was
dishevelled and sallow, as if from a rough voyage, and so chilled that
he could not keep his teeth from chattering. 'I am just landed from the
packet-boat, madam, and have been delayed by the weather: the infernal
weather! In consequence of this, madam, some necessary business that
I should otherwise have transacted here within the regular hours
(necessary business because money-business), still remains to be done.
Now, if you will fetch any authorised neighbouring somebody to do it in
return for my opening the door, I'll open the door. If this arrangement
should be objectionable, I'll--' and with the same smile he made a
significant feint of backing away.