Page:Bleak House.djvu/267

 love, permit me! Pray have a moment's patience, my dear. I do know something of this lad, and in what I know of him, I can't say that there's any harm; perhaps on the contrary, constable.” To whom the law-stationer relates his Joful and woful experience, suppressing the half-crown fact.

“Well!” says the constable, “so far, it seems, he had grounds for what he said. When I took him into custody up in Holborn, he said you knew him. Upon that, a young man who was in the crowd said he was acquainted with you, and you were a respectable housekeeper, and if I'd call and make the enquiry he'd appear. The young man don't seem inclined to keep his word, but—Oh! Here is the young man!”

Enter Mr. Guppy, who nods to Mr. Snagsby, and touches his hat with the chivalry of clerkship to the ladies on the stairs.

“I was strolling away from the office just now, when I found this row going on,” says Mr. Guppy to the law-stationer; “and as your name was mentioned, I thought it was right the thing should be looked into.”

“It was very good-natured of you, sir,” says Mr. Snagsby, “and I am obliged to you.” And Mr. Snagsby again relates his experience, again suppressing the half-crown fact.

“Now, I know where you live,” says the constable, then, to Jo. “You live down in Tom-all-alone's. That's a nice innocent place to live in, ain't it?”

“I can't go and live in no nicer place, sir,” replies Jo. “They wouldn't have nothink to say to me if I wos to go to a nice innocent place fur to live. Who ud go and let a nice innocent lodging to such a reg'lar one as me!”

“You are very poor, ain't you?” says the constable.

“Yes, I am indeed, sir, wery poor in gin'ral,” replies Jo.

“I leave you to judge now! I shook these two half-crowns out of him,” says the constable producing them to the company, “in only putting my hand upon him!”

“They're wot's left, Mr. Sangsby,” says Jo, “out of a sov'ring as wos give me by a lady in a wale as sed she wos a servant and as come to my crossin one night and asked to be showd this 'ere ouse and the ouse wot him as you giv the writin to died at, and the berrin ground wot he's berrid in. She ses to me she ses ‘are you the boy at the Inkwhich?’ she ses. I ses ‘yes’ I ses. She ses to me she ses ‘can you show me all them places?’ I ses ‘yes I can’ I ses. And she ses to me ‘do it’ and I dun it and she giv me a sov'ring and hooked it. And I an't had much of the sov'ring neither,” says Jo, with dirty tears, “fur I had to pay five bob, down in Tom-all-alone's, afore they'd square it fur to giv me change, and then a young man he thieved another five while I was asleep and another boy he thieved ninepence and the landlord he stood drains round with a lot more on it.”

“You don't expect anybody to believe this, about the lady and the sovereign, do you?” says the constable, eyeing him aside with ineffable disdain.

“I don't know as I do, sir,” replies Jo. “I don't expect nothink at all, sir, much, but that's the true hist'ry on it.”

“You see what he is!” the constable observes to the audience. “Well, Mr. Snagsby, if I don't lock him up this time, will you engage for his moving on?”