The Argosy — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

The Story of Dorothy Grape. 119g “ Been there /” exclaimed Pitt, bursting into a laugh. ‘‘ Wish you joy! We call it Benevolence Hall.” ‘And a very apt name, too,” said the Squire. ‘Such men ough’ to be canonized, Pitt.” “Hope they will be!” answered Pitt in a curious kind of tonc “JT can’t stop now, Mr. Todhetley ; am on my way to a consultation.” “He slips from one like an eel,” cried the Squire. ‘I might have spoken to him about Mrs. Mapping. But my mind is at ease with regard to her, Johnny, now that these charitable men have the case in hand: and we shall be up again in a few weeks.” It was nearly two months before we were again in London, and winter weather: the same business, connected with a lawsuit, calling the Squire up. “ And now for Mrs. Mapping,” he said to me during the afternoon of the second day. So we went to Gibraltar Terrace. ‘Ves, she 1s in her room,” said Miss Kester in a resentful tone “Tt 1s a good thing somebody’s come at last to see after her! I don’t care to have her alone here on my hands to die.” “To die!” cried the Squire sharply, supposing she spoke only in temper. ‘‘ What is she dying of?” ‘‘ Starvation,” answered Miss Kester. “Why, what on earth do you mean, ma’am?’” demanded he. ‘Starvation ! ” ‘“T’ve done what I could for her, so far as a cup of tea might go, and a morsel of bread-and-butter once a day, or perhaps a drop of broth,” ran on Miss Kester in the same aggrieved tone. “ But it has been hard times with myself lately, and I have my old mother to keep and a bedridden sister. What she has wanted is a supply of nourishing food; and she has had as good as none of any sort since you were here, being too weak to work; and so rapid consumption came on.” She whisked upstairs with the candle, for the short winter day was already closing, and we followed her. Mrs. Mapping sat in an old easy chair, over a handful of fire, her thin cotton shawl folded round her: white, panting, attenuated, starved; and—there could not be much mistake in it—dying. “Starved ? dying? dear, dear!” ejaculated the Squire, backing to the other chair and sitting down in a sort of terror. ‘‘ What has become of the people at Benevolence Hall ?” “They!” cried Miss Kester contemptuously. ‘‘ You don’t suppose those people would spend money to keep a poor woman from dying, do you, sir?” “Why, it is their business to do it,” said the Squire. “I put Mrs. Mapping’s case into their hands, and they undertook to see ro it.” “To see to it, pernaps, sir, but not to relieve it; I should be sur- - COMIC OOO SS (C(O)