Mr Haredale stood in the widow"s parlour with the door-key in hishand, gazing by turns at Mr Chester and at Gabriel Varden, andoccasionally glancing downward at the key as in the hope that ofits own accord it would unlock the mystery; until Mr Chester,putting on his hat and gloves, and sweetly inquiring whether theywere walking in the same direction, recalled him to himself.
"No," he said. "Our roads diverge--widely, as you know. For thepresent, I shall remain here."
"You will be hipped, Haredale; you will be miserable, melancholy,utterly wretched," returned the other. "It"s a place of the verylast description for a man of your temper. I know it will make youvery miserable."
"Let it," said Mr Haredale, sitting down; "and thrive upon thethought. Good night!"
Feigning to be wholly unconscious of the abrupt wave of the handwhich rendered this farewell tantamount to a dismissal, Mr Chesterretorted with a bland and heartfelt benediction, and inquired ofGabriel in what direction HE was going.
"Yours, sir, would be too much honour for the like of me," repliedthe locksmith, hesitating.
"I wish you to remain here a little while, Varden," said MrHaredale, without looking towards them. "I have a word or two tosay to you."
"I will not intrude upon your conference another moment," said MrChester with inconceivable politeness. "May it be satisfactory toyou both! God bless you!" So saying, and bestowing upon thelocksmith a most refulgent smile, he left them.
"A deplorably constituted creature, that rugged person," he said,as he walked along the street; "he is an atrocity that carries itsown punishment along with it--a bear that gnaws himself. And hereis one of the inestimable advantages of having a perfect commandover one"s inclinations. I have been tempted in these two shortinterviews, to draw upon that fellow, fifty times. Five men in sixwould have yielded to the impulse. By suppressing mine, I woundhim deeper and more keenly than if I were the best swordsman in allEurope, and he the worst. You are the wise man"s very lastresource," he said, tapping the hilt of his weapon; "we can butappeal to you when all else is said and done. To come to youbefore, and thereby spare our adversaries so much, is a barbarianmode of warfare, quite unworthy of any man with the remotestpretensions to delicacy of feeling, or refinement."
He smiled so very pleasantly as he communed with himself after thismanner, that a beggar was emboldened to follow for alms, and to doghis footsteps for some distance. He was gratified by thecircumstance, feeling it complimentary to his power of feature, andas a reward suffered the man to follow him until he called a chair,when he graciously dismissed him with a fervent blessing.
"Which is as easy as cursing," he wisely added, as he took hisseat, "and more becoming to the face.--To Clerkenwell, my goodcreatures, if you please!" The chairmen were rendered quitevivacious by having such a courteous burden, and to Clerkenwellthey went at a fair round trot.
Alighting at a certain point he had indicated to them upon theroad, and paying them something less than they expected from a fareof such gentle speech, he turned into the street in which thelocksmith dwelt, and presently stood beneath the shadow of theGolden Key. Mr Tappertit, who was hard at work by lamplight, in acorner of the workshop, remained unconscious of his presence untila hand upon his shoulder made him start and turn his head.
"Industry," said Mr Chester, "is the soul of business, and thekeystone of prosperity. Mr Tappertit, I shall expect you to inviteme to dinner when you are Lord Mayor of London."
"Sir," returned the "prentice, laying down his hammer, and rubbinghis nose on the back of a very sooty hand, "I scorn the Lord Mayorand everything that belongs to him. We must have another state ofsociety, sir, before you catch me being Lord Mayor. How de do, sir?"
"The better, Mr Tappertit, for looking into your ingenuous faceonce more. I hope you are well."
"I am as well, sir," said Sim, standing up to get nearer to hisear, and whispering hoarsely, "as any man can be under theaggrawations to which I am exposed. My life"s a burden to me. Ifit wasn"t for wengeance, I"d play at pitch and toss with it on thelosing hazard."
"Is Mrs Varden at home?" said Mr Chester.
"Sir," returned Sim, eyeing him over with a look of concentratedexpression,--"she is. Did you wish to see her?"
Mr Chester nodded.
"Then come this way, sir," said Sim, wiping his face upon hisapron. "Follow me, sir.--Would you permit me to whisper in yourear, one half a second?"
"By all means."
Mr Tappertit raised himself on tiptoe, applied his lips to MrChester"s ear, drew back his head without saying anything, lookedhard at him, applied them to his ear again, again drew back, andfinally whispered--"The name is Joseph Willet. Hush! I say nomore."
Having said that much, he beckoned the visitor with a mysteriousaspect to follow him to the parlour-door, where he announced himin the voice of a gentleman-usher. "Mr Chester."
"And not Mr Ed"dard, mind," said Sim, looking into the door again,and adding this by way of postscript in his own person; "it"s hisfather."
"But do not let his father," said Mr Chester, advancing hat inhand, as he observed the effect of this last explanatoryannouncement, "do not let his father be any check or restraint onyour domestic occupations, Miss Varden."
"Oh! Now! There! An"t I always a-saying it!" exclaimed Miggs,clapping her hands. "If he an"t been and took Missis for her owndaughter. Well, she DO look like it, that she do. Only think ofthat, mim!"
"Is it possible," said Mr Chester in his softest tones, "that thisis Mrs Varden! I am amazed. That is not your daughter, MrsVarden? No, no. Your sister."
"My daughter, indeed, sir," returned Mrs V., blushing with greatjuvenility.
"Ah, Mrs Varden!" cried the visitor. "Ah, ma"am--humanity isindeed a happy lot, when we can repeat ourselves in others, andstill be young as they. You must allow me to salute you--thecustom of the country, my dear madam--your daughter too."