'Why Wasn't you at work? Where's your week's money?'
'I haven't got any.'
'You haven't got any? Why not?'
For a while she was stubbornly silent, but Hewett constrained her to
confession at length. On his way home to-day he had been informed by
an acquaintance that Amy was wandering about the streets at an hour
when she ought to have been at her employment. Unable to put off the
evil moment any longer, the girl admitted that four days ago she was
dismissed for bad behaviour, and that since then she had pretended
to go to work as usual. The trifling sum paid to her on dismissal
she had spent.
John turned to his youngest daughter and asked in a hollow voice:
'Where's Clara?'
'She's got one of her headaches, father,' replied the girl,
trembling.
He turned and went from the room.
It was long since he had lost his place of porter at the
filter-works. Before leaving England, Joseph Snowdon managed to
dispose of his interest in the firm of Lake, Snowdon, & Co., and at
the same time Hewett was informed that his wages would be reduced by
five shillings a week--the sum which had been supplied by Michael
Snowdon's benevolence.
Pages:
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709