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THE CHIMES. 97 |
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" What do you mean ! " cried Filer sharply. " Married !"
" Why, yes, we're thinking of it, Master," said Richard. " We're rather in a hurry, you see, in case it should be Put Down first."
"Ah!" cried Filer, with a groan. "Put that down indeed, Alderman, and you'll do something. Married ! Married !! The ignorance of the first principles of political economy on the part of these people; their improvidence; their wickedness; is, by Heavens ! enough to—Now look at that couple, will you !"
Well! They were worth looking at. And marriage seemed as reasonable and fair a deed as they need have in contemplation.
"A man may live to be as old as Methusaleh," said Mr. Filer, " and may labour all his life for the benefit of such people as those; and may heap up facts on figures, facts on figures, facts on figures, mountains high and dry; and he can no more hope to persuade 'em that they have no right or business to be married, than he can hope to persuade 'em that they have no earthly right or business to be born. And that we know they haven't. We reduced it to a mathematical certainty long ago."
Alderman Cute w7as mightily diverted, and laid his right forefinger on the side of his nose, as much as to say to both his friends, " Observe me, will you ! Keep your eye on the practical man !" —and called Meg to him.
" Come here, my girl! " said Alderman Cute.
The young blood of her lover had been mounting, wrathfully, within the last few minutes ; and he was indisposed to let her come. But, setting a constraint upon himself, he came forward with a stride as Meg approached, and stood beside her. Trotty kept her hand within his arm still, but looked from face to face as wildly as a sleeper in a dream.
" Now, I'm going to give you a word or two of good advice, my girl," said the Alderman, in his nice easy way. "It's my place to give advice, you know, because I'm a Justice. You know I'm a Justice, don't you ?"
Meg timidly said, " Yes." But everybody knew Alderman Cute was a Justice ! Oh dear, so active a Justice always ! Who such a mote of brightness in the public eye, as Cute !
"You are going to be married, you say," pursued the Alderman. " Very unbecoming and indelicate in one of your sex ! But never mind that. After you are married, you'll quarrel with your husband, and come to be a distressed wife. You may think not: but you will, because I tell you so. Now I give you fair warning, that I have made up my mind to Put distressed wives Down. So, don't be brought before me. You'll have children—boys. Those boys will grow up bad of course, and run wild in the streets,
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