Both Tom and John knew this; and, therefore, John--the soft-hearted
one--kept out of the way. There was no danger that Tom would be
weak; and, after some half-hour of parley, he was again left by Mr.
Sowerby, without having evinced any symptom of weakness.
"It's the dibs as we want, Mr. Sowerby; that's all," were the last
words which he spoke as the member of Parliament left the room. Mr.
Sowerby then got into another cab, and had himself driven to his
sister's house. It is a remarkable thing with reference to men who
are distressed for money--distressed as was now the case with Mr.
Sowerby--that they never seem at a loss for small sums, or deny
themselves those luxuries which small sums purchase. Cabs, dinners,
wine, theatres, and new gloves are always at the command of men who
are drowned in pecuniary embarrassments, whereas those who don't owe
a shilling are so frequently obliged to go without them! It would
seem that there is no gratification so costly as that of keeping out
of debt. But then it is only fair that, if a man has a hobby, he
should pay for it. Any one else would have saved his shilling, as
Mrs. Harold Smith's house was only just across Oxford Street, in the
neighbourhood of Hanover Square; but Mr. Sowerby never thought of
this.
Pages:
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589