The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-27
MY CLIENT UPSTAIRS.


office in a street not far from the Wes
tern road. I could only afford to hire
one room. for my professional earnings
were at present nil, and my means
ranidlv approaching the same figure;
and a 0ueer three-cornered room it was.
The house had been built in curious
shane. to fit the site, which was III form
an irregular triangle. The other rooms
ON the same floor were pretty square,
and all the corners and twists had been
screwed into mine, which was let cheap
on account of not being handsome
anartment. It looked out over roofs
and ehimney-tops, and by putting my
head close to the wall and looking side
Ways. / could Just catch a glimpse OF
one Of the minarets of the wonderful pa
yilion. 1 had the window painted over,
however. with a coat of whitelead, as
fonnd that the habit of looking out of
the window didn't tend to professional
industry: and then, as now, I'm so
vaone in nv mental habits, that I re-
anire the very smallest excuse for neg
lectipg the work ] had in hand, and the
speckled back of cat, or the brown
wing of a sparrow, would carry my
mind far away from the realms OF sheep
skins. But when the windows were
done ND I took to reading novels, and L
don't know whether [ should not have
done better with my furred and feath-
cred friends.
AS far as attendance went, however, L
was a most exemplary attorney. In
deed, for the first few months OF my
tenancy, almost lived in my office. /
had my dinner sent in from re1ghoor-
hn1ITG |
w0uId sport the oak and sit smoking
over tbe fire. reading little and think
ing a good deal, till far into the night
NY thoughts were not over pleasant
| The dwindling away of my little capI-
tai, the difficulty of making any mead
against the Uis 6lerti8 OF llte-theSe
were the topics of my medltatlons. d,
The rest of the building was occupied
| for offices by surveyor AMI arcLltect'
| a man who had large staff OF clerks,
and seemed to do a good business.
The rule of the house was that, at
seven o'clock. the woman who looked
after the rooms, and who lived in an
| adjoining back street, would come and
lock up. Nobody slept in the house.
If any one wanted to stay later, he
could have the keys, on the condition
| that he left them at the charwoman'
| house.
I was generally the last in, and Mrs
Winton the charwoman, usually came
TO nv room with the keys, it had be
| come such a constant occurrence for me
| to lock up the house. One night 1t hap
pened that 1 had gone out for few
minutes, in fact, to purchase penn!
roll. which I intended to eat for tea
and in the meantime Mrs. Winton haC
been to the place and locked up. had
therefore, to go for keys, and having
obtained them. 1 let myself IN ani
made nv way upstairs to my own room
Now. I must tell you that there was an
other story above the floor In which m,
office was S tuated but the stairs lead
ING to that story was blocked up b,
hn1ks of lumber stretched across. M
landlord had told me that this floor wa
nnoccupied. The rooms, he said, wer
mere doq-holes, and of no use; the
had been servants bed rooms long age
when the house was used as an inn.
mt nv latch-key into the lock and wa
about to open my door it hung little
and I was putting my knee against 1t t
force it open, when in the act L turne
! NV head, and saw in the gloom, for
was almost dark, the glimmer of whit
figure standing on the stairs just aboV
me. I was little started, and spran
| into nv room more quickly than
sbould otherwise have done. L struc
a match and lit candle, feeling all th
while as if somebody were looking ove
nv shoulder but as soon as the Lgt
| onpeared nv fears vanished; Iwent OF
into the landing with a candle, an
looked about me. There were no sig
of ANYBODY there. Still, felt tt
sense of something uncannie about I'll
place. couldn't sit down and read
indeed, Mrs. Winton had raked out I'll
fire-and so I turned out once NOR
and went home to my lodgings.
This was Saturday night, and,
course, 1 had no idea Of going to til
office next day. But 1t SO happene
that 1 was going away on Monday NOR
ing to Lewes, by the first tram; and
was walking homeward-l had bee
to Kemptown, and then lodged at Il
upper end of the western road b
|. | thought me that some papers that
= should want the next day were at
Office. I went for the keys, therefor
!. and let myself in; and having unlock'
my office, got the papers, fastened I
/. my desk, and sat down. l felt dull al
m cold, and miserable; and knew that
[ went back to my lodgings, L shou
!. find no fire and nobody to light on
FOR the people I lodged with were We
l. regular in their attendance at chap'
@ and one of the conditions when | to
the room was that there should be
=. cooking on Sundays. The consequen
was that rarely had any dinner at
l. Il Lott IN1-ce
n fast instead; and as for anything eli
why, took my chance. On this d
- chance Lad not befriended me; b
to eaten nothing since breakfast, and +
rather weak and hungry. At the offic
a. kept some coffee and percolater, a tt
kettle, and bag of biscuits and it h
n. pened that Mrs. Winton had laid
@ fire ready for Monday morning, so Il
1 had nothing to do but to put MAJ
to it, and there before long 1 had
comfortable smiling fire and the ket
singing merrily. After | had made
coffee, began to think glass of g.
afterward would not be amiss. 1 W
3, out, therefore, once mo e, and go
,ss.' bottle of whisky at the public hous
was in the habit of having my din
from, and brought it back IN
l pocket. Anu IQou L SAT uOHu III Iy
fee chair, which was tolerably es
aud t my pipe and began to feel G.
q | Portable. So comfortable, indeed, 1
that after a while my head sunk on
breast, my limbs relaxed, and I
I'M asleep.
VN When awoke it was quite dark
very cold. The candle had gone {
the fire was ont; there was not sE
. of light anywhere. In truth, for
: ~ minutes | couldn't recollect ,wher
Suth was, or, indeed, who I was. 1t wa
wa if a smoothing-iron had been pas
max over my mind, snd had lost all IN
ory and sense of identity-everytl
CT but tremCr of trouble and pa
.eS under which 1 gaspld and strugi
like n newborn infant for its
breath And when / came to rt
lection of where / was, this sens
oppres sion, of almost despair, still b
ted me. I seemed to be encompa
Inv some ipexplicable wrong and