The Argosy — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

72 A TALE OF THE, TE VLPage peau I was a struggling young barrister, living, for the sake of economy, in my chambers in the Temple, a somewhat amusing adventure occurred to me. It happened that I received an unexpected invitation to eat my Christmas dinner with a rich and testy old uncle—my only male relation—from whom I had once had considerable expectations, but with whom I had quarrelled on the subject of a portionless young lady on whom I had set my affections. He had been very wroth with me on that occasion, had vowed he would never see me again, and had altered the testamentary disposition of his property, leaving me without even the proverbial shilling. But now, after the lapse of three years, he had, it seems, relented, and had written to say that if I would dine with him on Christmas Day at seven o’clock precisely— ye was a great stickler for punctuality—he would regard bygones as bygones, and would not only reinstate me in his affections and his testament, but would also provide me, during his lifetime, with the wherewithal that was necessary to enable me to marry the lady of my choice. This invitation I joyfully accepted, for the small income which I was able to earn at the bar was barely sufficient for my own neces- sities, and was utterly inadequate to the support of a wife. And so it came about that I lay placidly dozing that Christmas morning thinking about it all; pondering over the past, endeavouring to peer into the future, building castles in the air, and settling everything to my own satisfaction. It was late when I at last turned out of bed, and found it a blowy, snowy, blustering day. ‘Thrusting my feet into a pair of slippers, I went into the adjoining room for my shaving water; for I always shaved before doing anything else. But, alas! the fire was out, the water was cold, and I had given a holiday to my “ laundress.” ‘There was nothing for it but to set to work to light the fire myself. The operation was a tedious one; the sticks were few in number and not quite dry; a good deal of blowing was required, during which performance my hair would straggle over my face ; my hands were black with coal, and every time I put them up to my fore- head to replace the vagrant locks they left a trace of their presence there, so that by the time I had finished I was a pretty object. As soon as the fire began to burn, it was evident that it would die of inanition unless speedily furnished with more fuel. So, picking up the empty scuttle, I sallied forth, with nothing on but my dressing- gown, to the cupboard on the staircase which did duty for a coal- (COA | a» \ 21 0)(0)(0)| KS,(E(6) a |