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60 - Mysteries of London Vol I part 1 by George W M Reynolds · Mysteries of London Vol. I part 1

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Speaker 1: The last resource. Poverty once again returned with all its
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Speaker 1: hideous escort of miseries to the abode of Monroe and
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Speaker 1: his daughter. The articles of comfort which they had lately
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Speaker 1: collected around them were sent to the pawnbroker. Necessities then
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Speaker 1: followed to the same destination. Ellen no longer sought for needlework.
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Speaker 1: She had for some time passed led a life which
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Speaker 1: incapacitated her for close application to monotonous toil, And she
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Speaker 1: confidently reposed upon the hope that the old woman would
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Speaker 1: procure her more employment with an artist or a sculptor.
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Speaker 1: But at the expiration of the ten days, the hag
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Speaker 1: put her off for ten days more, and then again
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Speaker 1: for another ten days. Thus a month passed away in
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Speaker 1: idleness for both father and daughter, neither of whom earned
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Speaker 1: a shilling. They could no longer retain the lodgings which
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Speaker 1: they had occupied for some time in a respectable neighborhood,
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Speaker 1: And now behold them returning to the very same cold, miserable,
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Speaker 1: and cheerless rooms which we saw them occupying in the
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Speaker 1: first instance in the court leading out of Golden Lane.
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Speaker 1: What ups and downs constitute existence? Two years had now
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Speaker 1: passed away since we first introduced the reader to that
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Speaker 1: destitute lodging in Golden Lane. We have therefore brought up
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Speaker 1: this portion of our narrative, as well as all the
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Speaker 1: other parts of it, to the close of the year
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Speaker 1: eighteen thirty eight. Misery, more grinding, more pinching, and more
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Speaker 1: acute than any which they had yet known, now surrounded
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Speaker 1: the father and daughter. They had parted with everything which
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Speaker 1: would produce the wherewith to purchase food. They lay upon
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Speaker 1: straw at night, and for days and days they had
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Speaker 1: not a spark of fire in the grate. They often
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Speaker 1: went six and thirty hours together without tasting a morsel
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Speaker 1: of food. They could not even pay the pittance of
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Speaker 1: rent which was claimed for their two chambers, and if
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Speaker 1: it had not been for their compassionate neighbors, they must
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Speaker 1: have starved all together. Monroe could obtain no employment in
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Speaker 1: the city when he had failed during the time of
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Speaker 1: Richard Markham's imprisonment. He lost all his friends because they
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Speaker 1: took no account of his misfortunes and looked only to
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Speaker 1: the fact that he had been compelled to give up business.
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Speaker 1: Had he passed through the bankruptcy court and then opened
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Speaker 1: his counting house again to commence affairs upon credit, he
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Speaker 1: would have found admirers and supporters. But as he had
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Speaker 1: paid his credit as every farthing, left himself a beggar,
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Speaker 1: and spurned the idea of entering upon business without capital
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Speaker 1: of his own. He had not a friend to whom
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Speaker 1: he could apply for a shilling at length. The day
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Speaker 1: came when the misery of the father and the daughter
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Speaker 1: arrived at an extreme, when it became no longer tolerable.
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Speaker 1: They had fasted for forty eight hours, and their landlady
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Speaker 1: threatened to turn them out of their empty rooms into
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Speaker 1: the street unless they paid her the arrears of rent
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Speaker 1: which they owed. They had not an article upon which
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Speaker 1: they could raise the price of a loaf. It was
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Speaker 1: the depth of a cold and severe winter, and Ellen
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Speaker 1: had already parted with all her under guardents. My dear child,
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Speaker 1: said the heartbroken father, embracing his daughter affectionately, on the
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Speaker 1: morning when their misery thus reached its utmost limit. I
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Speaker 1: have one resource left, a resource to which I shall
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Speaker 1: never fly, save in an extreme like this. What mean you,
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Speaker 1: inquired the daughter, anxiously, glancing in the pale and haggard
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Speaker 1: countenance of her sire. I mean that I will apply
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Speaker 1: to Richard Maachham, said the old man. He does not
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Speaker 1: suspect our appalling state of destitution, or he would seek
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Speaker 1: us out. He would fly to our succor. And you
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Speaker 1: will apply to him who has already suffers so much
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Speaker 1: by you, said the daughter, shaking her hand. Alas he
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Speaker 1: will refuse you the succor. You require doom doo, not,
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Speaker 1: he ejaculated the old man. Be of good cheer, Ellen,
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Speaker 1: I shall not be long absent, And on my blutan
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Speaker 1: thou shalt have fool and fire and clothes. God grant
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Speaker 1: that it may be so, cried Ellyn, clasping her hands together.
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Speaker 1: I have marouver a piece of news relative to that
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Speaker 1: villain Montacue to communicate to him, added Monroe. And for
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Speaker 1: that reason, if for another, should I have called at
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Speaker 1: his residence to day. While I was roving about in
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Speaker 1: the city yesterday to endeavor to procure employment. I accidently
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Speaker 1: lert that Montague is pursuing his old gabe at the
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Speaker 1: West End under the name of Greenwood. Ah. Why do
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Speaker 1: you not rather call upon this man, cried Ellyn, and
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Speaker 1: represent to him the misery to which his villainy has
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Speaker 1: reduced us. He is doubtless wealthy, and might be inclined
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Speaker 1: to give a few pounds to one whom he robbed
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Speaker 1: a thousands. Alas, my dear Ellen, you do not know
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Speaker 1: the world as I know it. I have no means
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Speaker 1: of convincing Montague or Greenwood that I lost money by him.
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Speaker 1: He only knew Allan in the entire transaction. He never
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Speaker 1: saw me in his life, nor I him. At least
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Speaker 1: to my knowledge, Allan is dead. How then, can I
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Speaker 1: present myself to this man, whom Villainy has no doubt
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Speaker 1: rendered hard hearted and selfish, with mere assertions of losses
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Speaker 1: through his instrumentality, he will deject me ignominiously from his abode. No,
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Speaker 1: I shall repair to Richard Barkham. He is my last
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Speaker 1: and only hope. With these words, the old man embraced
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Speaker 1: his daughter affectionately and left the room. The moment he
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Speaker 1: was gone, Eliza said to herself, my father has undertaken
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Speaker 1: a hopeless task. It is not probable the Markham, whom
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Speaker 1: he has reduced to a miserable pittance, will spare from
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Speaker 1: that pittance ought to believe our necessities. What is to
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Speaker 1: be done? There are no more artists or sculptors require
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Speaker 1: my services. No more statuaries or photographers who need my aid,
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Speaker 1: and yet we cannot starve. When I last saw the
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Speaker 1: old woman, she spoke out plainly. Her meaning could not
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Speaker 1: be misunderstood. I rushed away from her presence, as if
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Speaker 1: she were a veminous, reptile fool that I was. Starvation
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Speaker 1: is undermining those charms which I have learned to value.
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Speaker 1: Hunger is defacing that beauty which gave me bread for
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Speaker 1: nearly two years, and which may give me bread again.
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Speaker 1: In the same way, I am clothed in rags and
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Speaker 1: shiver with the cold. My hands, once so white, are
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Speaker 1: becoming red. My form, lately surround and plump, is losing
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Speaker 1: its fulness and its freshness. My cheeks grow thin and hollow,
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Speaker 1: and in a few hours, my poor old father will
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Speaker 1: return home, waste it with fatigue and overwhelmed with famine
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Speaker 1: and disappointment. Oh my god, she continued, clasping her hands
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Speaker 1: together in an evolution of intense agony. Pardon, oh, pardon,
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Speaker 1: I can hesitate no longer. And straightway, she proceeded to
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Speaker 1: the dwelling of the old hag. It was about two
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Speaker 1: o'clock in the afternoon when mister Monroe returned to the
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Speaker 1: court in Golden Lane. His countenance was animated with an
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Speaker 1: expression of joy as he encountered the landlady upon the
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Speaker 1: threshold of the house in which he resided. Miss Manroe
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Speaker 1: is not coming yet, said the woman, roughly, here is
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Speaker 1: the key of your lodgings. Not that I think there
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Speaker 1: is much the worse the locking up. However, this key
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Speaker 1: you don't have again till my rent is paid. Here,
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Speaker 1: pay yourself, Pay yourself, cried the old man, taking a
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Speaker 1: handful of gold and silver from his pocket. The woman's
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Speaker 1: manner instantly changed into cringing politeness. She was not now
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Speaker 1: pressed for the rent. She could wait till it was convenient.
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Speaker 1: She always knew that she had to deal with the gentleman.
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Speaker 1: What did it matter to her when she was paid.
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Speaker 1: Since she felt convinced the money was safe, Monroe cut
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Speaker 1: shorter compliments by settling the arrears due and sending the
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Speaker 1: landlady out to purchase some food. The old man was
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Speaker 1: determined to be extravagant that day. He was so happy.
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Speaker 1: Markham had declared that he and his daughter should never
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Speaker 1: know want again, And then he had such a surprise
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Speaker 1: for Ellen. They were to proceed next day to take
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Speaker 1: up their abode with Richard. The young man had insisted
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Speaker 1: upon it, Whittingham had supported the proposal, and so it
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Speaker 1: was all resolved upon. No more poverty, no more cold,
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Speaker 1: no more hunger. It was for this that the old
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Speaker 1: gentleman was resolved to be extravagant. He was anxious to
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Speaker 1: provide had a delicate little treat for his daughter, and
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Speaker 1: he was glad that she was not at home when
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Speaker 1: he returned. He felt convinced that she had gone out
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Speaker 1: to seek for work, and hoped that she would not
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Speaker 1: be long ere she returned. By means of the landlady,
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Speaker 1: he procured a cold fowl, a piece of ham, and
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Speaker 1: a bottle of cheap wine, and his own thin and
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Speaker 1: meager hands spread the dainties upon the table, while the
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Speaker 1: landlady lighted a fire in the grate. When these arrangements
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Speaker 1: were complete, Monroe despatched the now obsequious mistress of the
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Speaker 1: house to redeem from pledge the various articles which had
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Speaker 1: been pawned during this latter period of destitution. And when
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Speaker 1: she returned, laden with the necessaries and the comforts which
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Speaker 1: had thus been temporarily disposed of, Monroe felt pleasure in
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Speaker 1: arranging them in such a way that they might strike
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Speaker 1: Ellen's eyes the moment she should return. The poor old
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Speaker 1: man was so joyful, so happy as he executed his task,
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Speaker 1: that he did not observe the lapse of time. Six
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Speaker 1: o'clock struck, and the candle had been burning for some
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Speaker 1: time upon the mantelpiece. Ere Monroe began to wonder what
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Speaker 1: could keep his daughter so long away. Another half hour passed,
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Speaker 1: and her well known step was heard ascending the stairs.
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Speaker 1: The door opened, and Ellen rushed into the room, exclaiming,
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Speaker 1: my dear father, here is gold. Here is gold. This
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Speaker 1: then appears to be a day of good fortune. Said
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Speaker 1: the old man, glancing triumphantly around him. I also have gold,
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Speaker 1: and these are the fruits of the first juice which
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Speaker 1: I have made of it, what exclaimed Ellen, gazing wildly
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Speaker 1: upon the well spread table and the various articles redeemed
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Speaker 1: from the pawnbroker Richard markham MARGEI an angel, cried Monroe.
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Speaker 1: He will never let us know want again. Oh my God,
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Speaker 1: ejaculated Ellyn, throwing herself upon a chair and burying her
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Speaker 1: face in her hands. Why did I not wait a
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Speaker 1: few hours? Why did I not have patience and hope
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Speaker 1: till you return. Ellen, What mean those words? Demanded the
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Speaker 1: old man, speak till me simply, my dear father, She answered,
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Speaker 1: raising her head and at the same time exercising an
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Speaker 1: almost superhuman control over her inward emotion, that I have
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Speaker 1: consented to receive work at a price which will scarcely
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Speaker 1: find us in bread. And you shall not hold to
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Speaker 1: your bargain, dearest, interrupted Monroe. The body which you may
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Speaker 1: have received in advance for you said I think you
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Speaker 1: had money, shall be returned to those who would condemn
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Speaker 1: you to a slavery more atrocious than that endured by
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Speaker 1: the Negroes in the West Indies. Take courage, by beloved Ellen,
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Speaker 1: take courage. A brighter day will yet dawn upon us.
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Speaker 1: Ellen made no reply, but her countenance wore so singular
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Speaker 1: an expression that her father was alarmed. My dearest daughter,
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Speaker 1: he exclaim, you have no longer any hope, and I
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Speaker 1: see by your looks that you despair. God knows that
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Speaker 1: we have encountered enough to teach us to place but
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Speaker 1: little reliance upon the smiles of fortune. Nevertheless, let us
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Speaker 1: not banish hope altogether from our bosoms. Worry we shall
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Speaker 1: leave this disimal abode and repair to the house of
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Speaker 1: our young benefactor Marham. Markham cried Ellen, the very name,
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Speaker 1: appearing to arouse agonizing emotions in her mind. Have you promised,
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Speaker 1: mister Richard Markham that we will reside with him? Yes,
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Speaker 1: stares Ellen, And in so doing I had hoped to
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Speaker 1: give thee pleasure. You have known each other from infancy.
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Speaker 1: We thinks I see THEE now a little child climbing
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Speaker 1: up that hill in company with Richard and his brother.
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Speaker 1: His brother repeated Ellen, a cold shudder passing over her
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Speaker 1: entire frame. My dearest girl, you are not well, said
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Speaker 1: the old man, and, pouring some wine into a glass
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Speaker 1: he had it. Drink this, Ellen, It will revive thee.
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Speaker 1: The young lady partook of the exhilarating beverage and appeared refreshed.
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Speaker 1: Her father and herself then seated themselves at the table
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Speaker 1: and partook of the meal. Ellen ate but little. She
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Speaker 1: was pensive and melancholy, and every now and then her
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Speaker 1: countenance wore an expression of supreme horror, which denoted intense
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Speaker 1: agony of feeling within her bosom. She however, contrived to
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Speaker 1: veil from her father's eyes much of the anguish which
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Speaker 1: she thus experienced, and the old man's features were animated
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Speaker 1: with a gleam of joy as he sat by the
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Speaker 1: cheerful fire and talked to his daughter of brighter prospects
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Speaker 1: and happier days. On the following morning, they took leave
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Speaker 1: of those rooms in which they had experienced so much misery,
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Speaker 1: and repaired to the dwelling of Richard Markham end of
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Speaker 1: chapter fifty seven. Recording by Dave will