advantage should be only temporary, what then? To be relieved and
comforted even for a day or two, was not that something to count in life?
Thus I quenched the fiery dart of criticism which my _protégée_ herself
had thrown into the transaction, not without a certain sense of the humor
of it. Its effect, however, was to make me less anxious to see my father,
to repeat my proposal to him, and to call his attention to the cruelty
performed in his name. This one case I had taken out of the category of
wrongs to be righted, by assuming arbitrarily the position of Providence
in my own person,--for, of course, I had bound myself to pay the poor
creature's rent as well as redeem her goods,--and, whatever might happen
to her in the future, had taken the past into my own hands. The man came
presently to see me, who, it seems, had acted as my father's agent in the
matter. "I don't know, sir, how Mr. Canning will take it," he said. "He
don't want none of those irregular, bad-paying ones in his property. He
always says as to look over it and let the rent run on is making things
worse in the end. His rule is, 'Never more than a month, Stevens;' that's
what Mr. Canning says to me, sir. He says, 'More than that they can't
pay. It's no use trying.' And it's a good rule; it's a very good rule. He
won't hear none of their stories, sir. Bless you, you'd never get a penny
of rent from them small houses if you listened to their tales. But if so
be as you'll pay Mrs. Jordan's rent, it's none of my business how it's
paid, so long as it's paid, and I'll send her back her things. But
they'll just have to be took next time," he added composedly. "Over and
over; it's always the same story with them sort of poor folks,--they're
too poor for anything, that's the truth," the man said.

Morphew came back to my room after my visitor was gone. "Mr. Philip," he
said, "you'll excuse me, sir, but if you're going to pay all the poor
folks' rent as have distresses put in, you may just go into the court at
once, for it's without end--"