amusement in the state of things, whereas Mr. Sparkes grew more
despondent the more he talked, and always added with a doleful
self-reproach:

"If I'd been half a man I should have left. They'd have taken me on
at Simpkin's, I know they would, or at the Old City Chop House, if
I'd waited for a vacancy. Who'd take me on now? Why, they'd throw it
in my face that I came from Chaffey's, and I shouldn't have half a
word to say for myself."

It was very seldom that he received a written invitation from his
sister-in-law, but he heard from her in these hot days of June that
she particularly wished to see him as soon as possible. The message
he thought, must have some reference to Mrs. Clover's husband, whose
reappearance at any moment would have been no great surprise, even
after an absence of six years. Mr. Sparkes had a strong objection to
mysterious persons; he was all for peace and comfort in a familiar
routine, and for his own part had often hoped that the man Clover
was by this time dead and buried. Responding as soon as possible to
Mrs. Clover's summons, he found that she wished to speak to him
about his daughter. Mrs. Clover showed herself seriously disturbed
by Polly's recent behaviour; she told of the newly-acquired
jewellery, of the dresses in which Miss Sparkes went "flaunting,"
of the girl's scornful refusal to answer natural inquiries.

"The long and the short of it is, Ebenezer, you ought to see her,
and find out what's going on. There may be nothing wrong, and I
don't say there is; but that watch and chain of hers wasn't bought
under twenty pounds--that I'll answer for, and it's a very queer
thing, to say the least of it. What business was it of mine. she