The Argosy — page 199: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Edina, 195 Raynor’s. The last dire calamity had taken all his pride and his high notions out of him. The family were helpless, hopeless ; and he had rendered them so. No clothes, no food, no prospect:, no home, no money. A few articles of wearing apparel had been flung ott of the burning house, chiefly pertaining to Alice, but not many. All the moucy Mrs. Raynor had in the world—four bank-notes of five pounds each— had been consumed. There had chanced to bea little gold in Charles’s pockets, given him to pay the insurance, some taxes, and other needful matters ; and that was all they had to go on with. Night after night Charles lay awake, lamenting his folly, and making huge resolves to remedy it. They must have food to eat, though it were but bread and cheese; they must have a roof over them, let it be ever so confined. And there was only himself to provide this. Any thought of setting up a school again could not present itself to their minds after the late ignominious failure: they had no means to do it, and the little pupils had gone home for ever. No; all lay on Charles. He studied the columns of the Zimes, and walked up and down London till he was footsore ; foot- sore and heartsick ; trying to get one of the desirable places advertised as vacant. In vain. He had been doing this now for four or five days. On this, the sixth day, when he reached home after his weary walk, the landlady of the house stood at the open door, bargaining for one of the pots of musk that a man was carrying about for sale. Charles wished her good even- ing as he passed on to the parlour: and there he had a surprise, for in it sat Edina. She had evidently just arrived. Her travelling cloak was thrown on the back of a chair, her black mantle was unpinned, her bonnet was still on. Katie and Robert sat at her feet ; the tea-things were on the table, Alice was cutting bread and butter, and Mrs. Raynor was sobbing. Charles held out his hand with hesitation, feeling that it was not worthy for Edina to touch, and a red flush dyed his face. After tea, the conversation turned on their present position, on plans and projects. Ah! what poor ones they were! Mrs. Raynor acknow- ledged freely that she had only a few shillings left. “* Have you been paid for the pupils?” asked Edina. “No,” replied Mrs. Raynor. ‘I have not yet sent in the accounts. The children were not with me quite a quarter, you know, and perhaps some of the parents may make that a plea, combined with the termina- tion, for not paying me at all. Even if I do get it, there are debts to pay out of it: the tradespeople, the stationer, the maid-servant’s wages. Not much will be left of it.” ‘Then, Mary, let us settle to-night what is to be done.” “ What can be settled?” returned Mrs. Raynor hopelessly. “I see nothing at all before us. Except starvation.” i “Don't talk of starvation, Mary, while Heaven spares us the use of comicbooks.com