Mrs. Meager remembered the day very well indeed, and
Miss Meager, when the police came the next morning, had accounted for
her black eye by a tragical account of a fall she had had against
the bed-post in the dark. Up to that period Mr. Emilius had been
everything that was sweet and good,--an excellent, eloquent
clergyman, who was being ill-treated by his wife's wealthy relations,
who was soft in his manners and civil in his words, and never gave
more trouble than was necessary. The period, too, would have been
one of comparative prosperity to the Meager ladies,--but for that
inopportune return of the head of the family,--as two other lodgers
had been inclined to look out upon the dead wall, or else into the
cheerful back-yard; which circumstance came to have some bearing
upon our story, as Mrs. Meager had been driven by the press of her
increased household to let that good-natured Mr. Emilius know that
if "he didn't mind it" the latch-key might be an accommodation on
occasions. To give him his due, indeed, he had, when first taking the
rooms, offered to give up the key when not intending to be out at
night.
Pages:
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923