Dickens's Christmas Books - complete online versions

The Christmas Carol, The Chimes, Cricket On the Hearth, Battle Of Life
& The Haunted Man & the Ghosts's Bargain with Illustrations.

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386
THE HAUNTED MAN
" Back to the woman's ?" he inquired.
" Back, quickly ! " answered Redlaw. " Stop nowhere on the way !"
For a short distance the boy went on before; but their return was more like a flight than a walk, and it was as much as his bare feet could do, to keep pace with the Chemist's rapid strides. Shrinking from all who passed, shrouded in his cloak, and keep­ing it drawn closely about him, as though there were mortal contagion in any fluttering touch of his garments, he made no pause until they reached the door by which they had come out. He unlocked it with his key, went in, accompanied by the boy, and hastened through the dark passages to his own chamber.
The boy watched him as he made the door fast, and withdrew behind the table, when he looked round.
" Come!" he said. " Don't you touch me! You've not brought me here to take my money away."
Redlaw threw some more upon the ground. He flung his body on it immediately, as if to hide it from him, lest the sight of it should tempt him to reclaim it; and not until he saw him seated by his lamp, with his face hidden in his hands, began furtively to pick it up. When he had done so, he crept near the fire, and, sitting down in a great chair before it, took from his breast some broken scraps of food, and fell to munching, and to staring at the blaze, and now and then to glancing at his shillings, which he kept clenched up in a bunch, in one hand.
"And this," said Redlaw, gazing on him with increased re­pugnance and fear, "is the only one companion I have left on earth !"
How long it was before he was aroused from his contemplation of this creature, whom he dreaded so—whether half-an-hour, or half the night—he knew not. But the stillness of the room was broken by the boy (whom he had seen listening) starting up, and running towards the door.
" Here's the woman coming ! " he exclaimed.
The Chemist stopped him on his way, at the moment when she knocked.
" Let me go to her, will you ?" said the boy.
" Not now," returned the Chemist. " Stay here. Nobody must pass in or out of the room now. Who's that"?"
" It's I, Sir," cried Milly. " Pray, Sir, let me in ! "
" No ! not for the world ! " he said.
"Mr. Redlaw, Mr. Redlaw, pray, Sir, let me in."
" What is the matter ?" he said, holding the boy.
" The miserable man you saw, is worse, and nothing I can say
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