Page:Shirley (1849 Volume 1).djvu/202

 “I hadn’t that duty on my mind, sir; but as Providence has led ye to mention the subject, I’ll make it i’ my way to tak’ ony trifle ye may have to spare, the smallest contribution will be acceptable.”

With that he doffed his hat, and held it out as a begging-box; a brazen grin at the same time crossing his countenance.

“If I gave you sixpence, you would drink it.”

Barraclough uplifted the palms of his hands and the whites of his eyes, evincing in the gesture a mere burlesque of hypocrisy.

“You seem a fine fellow,” said Moore, quite coolly and drily; “you don’t care for shewing me that you are a double-dyed hypocrite, that your trade is fraud: you expect indeed to make me laugh at the cleverness with which you play your coarsely farcical part, while at the same time you think you are deceiving the men behind you.”

Moses’ countenance lowered; he saw he had gone too far: he was going to answer, when the second leader, impatient of being hitherto kept in the background, stepped forward. This man did not look like a traitor, though he had an exceedingly self-confident and conceited air.

“Mr. Moore,” commenced he, speaking also in his throat and nose, and enunciating each word very slowly, as if with a view to giving his audience