第34章

OF SAM'S PRIVATE AFFAIRS AND OF THE FIRM OF BROUGH AND HOFFWe took a genteel house in Bernard Street, Russell Square, and my aunt sent for all her furniture from the country; which would have filled two such houses, but which came pretty cheap to us young housekeepers, as we had only to pay the carriage of the goods from Bristol.

When I brought Mrs.H.her third half-year's dividend, having not for four months touched a shilling of her money, I must say she gave me 50L.of the 80L., and told me that was ample pay for the board and lodging of a poor old woman like her, who did not eat more than a sparrow.

I have myself, in the country, seen her eat nine sparrows in a pudding; but she was rich and I could not complain.If she saved 600L.a year, at the least, by living with us, why, all the savings would one day come to me; and so Mary and I consoled ourselves, and tried to manage matters as well as we might.It was no easy task to keep a mansion in Bernard Street and save money out of 470L.a year, which was my income.But what a lucky fellow I was to have such an income!

As Mrs.Hoggarty left the Rookery in Smithers's carriage, Mr.Brough, with his four greys, was entering the lodge-gate; and I should like to have seen the looks of these two gentlemen, as the one was carrying the other's prey off, out of his own very den, under his very nose.

He came to see her the next day, and protested that he would not leave the house until she left it with him: that he had heard of his daughter's infamous conduct, and had seen her in tears--"in tears, madam, and on her knees, imploring Heaven to pardon her!" But Mr.B.was obliged to leave the house without my aunt, who had a causa major for staying, and hardly allowed poor Mary out of her sight,--opening every one of the letters that came into the house directed to my wife, and suspecting hers to everybody.Mary never told me of all this pain for many many years afterwards; but had always a smiling face for her husband when he came home from his work.As for poor Gus, my aunt had so frightened him, that he neveronce showed his nose in the place all the time we lived there; but used to be content with news of Mary, of whom he was as fond as he was of me.

Mr.Brough, when my aunt left him, was in a furious ill-humour with me.He found fault with me ten times a day, and openly, before the gents of the office; but I let him one day know pretty smartly that I was not only a servant, but a considerable shareholder in the company; that I defied him to find fault with my work or my regularity; and that I was not minded to receive any insolent language from him or any man.He said it was always so: that he had never cherished a young man in his bosom, but the ingrate had turned on him; that he was accustomed to wrong and undutifulness from his children, and that he would pray that the sin might be forgiven me.A moment before he had been cursing and swearing at me, and speaking to me as if I had been his shoeblack.But, look you, I was not going to put up with any more of Madam Brough's airs, or of his.With me they might act as they thought fit; but I did not choose that my wife should be passed over by them, as she had been in the matter of the visit to Fulham.

Brough ended by warning me of Hodge and Smithers."Beware of these men," said he; "but for my honesty, your aunt's landed property would have been sacrificed by these cormorants: and when, for her benefit--which you, obstinate young man, will not perceive--I wished to dispose of her land, her attorneys actually had the audacity--the unchristian avarice I may say--to ask ten per cent.commission on the sale."There might be some truth in this, I thought: at any rate, when rogues fall out, honest men come by their own: and now I began to suspect, I am sorry to say, that both the attorney and the Director had a little of the rogue in their composition.It was especially about my wife's fortune that Mr.B.showed HIS cloven foot: for proposing, as usual, that I should purchase shares with it in our Company, I told him that my wife was a minor, and as such her little fortune was vested out of my control altogether.He flung away in a rage at this; and I soon saw that he did not care for me any more, by Abednego's manner to me.No more holidays, no more advances of money, had I: on the contrary, the private clerkshipat 150L.was abolished, and I found myself on my 250L.a year again.Well, what then? it was always a good income, and I did my duty, and laughed at the Director.

About this time, in the beginning of 1824, the Jamaica Ginger Beer Company shut up shop--exploded, as Gus said, with a bang! The Patent Pump shares were down to 15L.upon a paid-up capital of 65L.Still ours were at a high premium; and the Independent West Diddlesex held its head up as proudly as any office in London.Roundhand's abuse had had some influence against the Director, certainly; for he hinted at malversation of shares: but the Company still stood as united as the Hand-in-Hand, and as firm as the Rock.

To return to the state of affairs in Bernard Street, Russell Square: my aunt's old furniture crammed our little rooms; and my aunt's enormous old jingling grand piano, with crooked legs and half the strings broken, occupied three-fourths of the little drawing-room.Here used Mrs.H.to sit, and play us, for hours, sonatas that were in fashion in Lord Charleville's time; and sung with a cracked voice, till it was all that we could do to refrain from laughing.