"
The statement did not surprise me. Had he added that he had coached the
winning crew of the regatta the year before, laid the marquetry floors
of Cliveden (not far away), or led the band at the late Lord Mayor's
show, I should have received his statements with equal equanimity. So I
simply remarked, "When was that, Fin"? quite as I should had I been
gathering details for his biography--my only anxiety being to get the
facts chronologically correct.
"When I was a gossoon of twenty, sor--maybe eighteen--I'm fifty now, so
it's far back enough, God knows. And it all happened, too, not far from
that old ink-bottle's place in Temple Bar. I was lookin' at it wan day
last winter when I had a fare down there that I took up in old Bond
Street. I did the sweepin' out and startin' fires. Wan day wan of the
clerks got fired because he couldn't serve a writ on another barrister
chap who owed a bill that me boss was tryin' to collect. Nobody could
git into his rooms, try every way they could.
Pages:
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200