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Found Dead, by the Author of 'blondel Parva'.
Found Dead by the Author of 'blondel Parva' Author:James Payn General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1869 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER VI. CLIFFORD STREET. JR. CURTIS, deputy-master and porter of Slop Street Refuge, was far from pleased to hear that he was to be rid of his young foe that night. At present, the sense of obligation lay heavily upon his mind; he owed the lad something of the sort which we are all so much more ready to pay than our debts -- a grudge, an injury, a tit for tat; he had laid his wand of office (which he had no authority to do) about the poor boy, s shoulders, in return for some real or fancied mark of disrespect, and the consequences had been most unexpected and disastrous. The worm had turned -- this wretched pauper, this recent contribution from the union workhouse had knocked him down. The insubordination could not be lawfully punished, because it had arisen from his own illegal act, but it was being gradually worked out in small annoyances and petty insults, so many of which were still due. And yet he could not prevent the lad, s departure. By the rules of the Refuge, any inmate might leave it between the hours of6 A. m. and 10 P. m. ; and it was not ten yet. Moreover, Mr. Curtis did not wish to offend the painter, whose hand might so soon be expected to seek his waistcoat-pocket. ' I don't think I ought to pay you anything, Curtis,' said Mr. Blissett doubtfully, ' since I am relieving you of the presence of so insubordinate and formidable a person; but there is the half-crown which your hard heart would not let me bestow upon that poor girl.' Purple with indignation, either at the smallness of the gift, or the greatness of the affront, the deputy- master pocketed both in silence, and openi...« less