The Argosy — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

The Ebony Box. 33 resident teacher in a lady’s school hard by; and that she was often allowed to spend the whole of the day at home on Sundays. One Sunday evening he ingeniously got himself invited to take tea in Mrs. Parslet’s parlour, and thus became acquainted with Maria ; but his opportunities for meeting her were rare. There’s not much to tell of the first twelvemonth. It passed in due course. Sam Dene was fairly steady. He made a few debts, as some young men, left to themselves, can’t help making—at least, they’d tell you they can’t. Sundry friends of Sam’s in Worcester knew of this, and somehow it reached Mr. Cockermuth’s ears, who gave Sam a word of advice privately. This was just as the first year expired. According to agreement, Sam had another year to stay. He entered upon it with inward gloom. On adding up his scores, which he deemed it as well to do after his master’s lecture, he again found that they amounted to far more than he had thought for, and how he should contrive to pay them out of his own resources he knew no more than the man in the moon. In short, he could not do it; he was in a fix; and lived in perpetual dread of its coming to the ears of his Uncle Jacobson. The spring assize, taking place early in March, was just over; the judges had left the town for Stafford, and Worcester was settling down again to quietness. Miss Cockermuth gave herself and her two handmaidens a week’s rest—assize time being always a busy and bustling period at the lawyer’s, no end of chance company looking in—and then the house began its spring cleaning, a grand institution with our good grandmothers, often lasting a couple of weeks. This time, at the lawyer’s house, it was to be a double bustle; for visitors were being prepared for. It had pleased Captain Cockermuth to write word that he should be at home for Easter ; upon which, the lawyer and his sister decided to invite Philip’s widow and her children also to spend it with them ; they knew Charles would be pleased. Easter Day was very early indeed that year, falling at the end of March. To make clearer what’s coming, the house had better have a word or two of description. You entered from the street into a wide passage ; no steps. On the left was the parlour and general sitting- room, in which all meals were generally taken. It was a long, low room, its two rather narrow windows looking to the street, the back of the room being a little dark. Opposite the door was the fire place. On the other side the passage, facing the parlour door, was the door that opened to the two rooms (one front, one back) used as the lawyer’s office. The kitchens and staircase were at the back of the passage, a garden lying beyond ; and there was a handsome drawing- room on the first floor, not much used. The house, I say, was in a commotion with the spring cleaning, and the other preparations. ‘To accommodate so many visitors VOL. XXXV. , D GOnIGIoOoks (CO)