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THE BATTLE OF LTFE. |
271 |
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Not alone ; but with a man of thirty, or about that time of life, negligently dressed, and somewhat haggard in the face, but well-made, well-attired, and well-looking, who sat in the arm-chair of state, with one hand in his breast, and the other in his dishevelled hair, pondering moodily. Messrs. Snitchey and Craggs sat opposite each other at a neighbouring desk. One of the fire-proof boxes, unpadlocked and opened, was upon it; a part of its contents lay strewn upon the table, and the rest was then in course of passing through the hands of Mr. Snitchey, who brought it to the candle, document by document, looked at every paper singly, as he produced it, shook his head, and handed it to Mr. Oraggs, who looked it over also, shook his head, and laid it down. Sometimes they would stop, and shaking their heads in concert, looked towards the abstracted client; and the name on the box being Michael Warden, Esquire, we may conclude from these premises that the name and the box were both his, and that the affairs of Michael Warden, Esquire, were in a bad way.
"That's all," said Mr. Snitchey, turning up the last paper. " Really there's no other resource. No other resource."
"All lost, spent, wasted, pawned, borrowed, and sold, eh?" said the client, looking up.
"All," returned Mr. Snitchey.
" Nothing else to be done, you say ?"
"Nothing at all."
The client bit his nails, and pondered again.
" And I am not even personally safe in England ? You hold to that; do you ?"
" In no part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland," replied Mr. Snitchey.
" A mere prodigal son with no father to go back to, no swine to keep, and no husks to share with them ? Eh ?" pursued the client, rocking one leg over the other, and searching the ground with his eyes.
Mr. Snitchey coughed, as if to deprecate the being supposed to participate in any figurative illustration of a legal position. Mr. Craggs, as if to express that it was a partnership view of the subject, also coughed.
" Ruined at thirty ! " said the client. " Humph !"
" Not ruined, Mr. Warden," returned Snitchey. " Not so bad as that. You have done a good deal towards it, I must say, but you are not ruined. A little nursing------"
"A little Devil," said the client.
" Mr. Craggs," said Snitchey, " will you oblige me with a pinch of snuff? Thank you, Sir." |
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