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Gissing, George, 1857-1903

"The Nether World"

'
'I thought as much, Did she give you anything?' Ho made this inquiry
in rather a shamefaced way.
'No, she didn't.'
'Well, I tell you what it is. I'm not going to have her coming about
the place, so understand that. When she comes next, you'll just tell
her she needn't come again.'
Pennyloaf looked at him with dismay. For the delivery of this
command Bob had seated himself on the corner of the table and
crossed his arms. But for the touch of black-guardism in his
appearance, Bob would have been a very good-looking fellow; his face
was healthy, by no means commonplace in its mould, and had the
peculiar vividness which indicates ability--so impressive, because
so rarely seen, in men of his level. Unfortunately his hair was
cropped all but to the scalp, in the fashionable manner; it was
greased, too, and curled up on one side of his forehead with a
peculiarly offensive perkishness. Poor Pennyloaf was in a great
degree responsible for the ills of her married life; not only did
she believe Bob to be the handsomest man who walked the earth but in
her weakness she could not refrain from telling him as much. At the
present moment he was intensely self-conscious; with Pennyloaf's eye
upon him, he posed for effect.


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