The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-12-31
CHAPTER VII.
AT BEAk HOUSE,

After cburCh--attended by Dick in
compliance with what he termed pa
ternal prejudcesh--a light luncheon
followed at the vicarage; then the
young man had no choice but to tear
himself away from the manifold attrac-
tons Of the home circle, not less 70 his
personal chagrin than the despair Of the
fair sisterhood. but it had been previ-
ously arranged that the young man was
TO dine on Christmas Day with his pat
ron Sir Jasper Earle, at Bleak House,
an appropriately named residence situ-
ated in a lonely spot some half-dozen
miles from Burnham Nicarage
In this direction, then. Il couple Of
hours after noon. Dick turned his
horses head, and after little more than
an hours ride passed in at the grim for
bidding iron gates guarding the en-
trance to the now drear aud lea;leSs
avenue, which conducted up TO the very
doors of the baronial mansion.
TO the young mans infinite relief he
found the stern old widower not alto.
gether solitary; a certain Doctor IIol.
lingshead a London physician OF some
note, having arrived from town the pre-
vlous day in order To spend Christmas
with his old friend, and this pair of
cronleS, as Dick forthwith lrreverent-
~ dubbed them mentally, Sat together
before a dreary spoonful Of fire in the
vastand sparscly-furnishcd library, en-
joying a melancholy tete-a-tete over
cigars and = glass OF sherry, when the
young fellow suddenly iutrud6d. Din
ner had been ordered at i've O'Clock IN
order to enable Dick TO join party Of
skaters upon famous sheet OF water
known as Burnham Lake, in the
grounds of an adjoining mansion,
whose owner had issued tickets OF inyi-
tation to the ncighburiug gentry. en-
joining them to make free use OF his
lake whilst the frost lasted. Here the
girls from the yicarago We're % adjourn
after evening service; skating hy torch
light was 20 be- d. r'gHH'. this long
promised nj t,tsco entertainment having
been the theme Of universal discussion
since first the ice gave hopes of bear.
ing over Christmas Day,
Supported blythe prospect Of ultimate
escape to this scene Of igStiyity. Dick
resigned himself as gracefully as cir
cumstances would permit to present
boredom, and drew IN TO the circle at
Sir Jasper's invitation, slipping a glass
Of best pale Here's, and listening in re.
spectful silence to the pr0singS Of his
elders,
DR.. Holingshead was relating dreary
stories Of the prevailing restitution
among the poor IN town; disease was
rife, additionally aggravated by the I'M
usual rigor Of the season; the hospitals
were full to overlooking. and 10 less
than three deaths from starvation had
been reported during the current week.
1t made q man uncOmfortably reflect
i've, the doctor added, sitting Mt his ease
in land of plenty, for ii was surely
difficult to enjoy ones glass Of wine and
Christmas fare, reColleCtng that at that
very moment there We're thousands of
ones felow-Creatures actually famish-
ing for mere want Of daily bread,
scarce a stone's-throw from ones
doors.
He was tolerably callous and indif-
ferent, he went on TO say, after nearly
twenty years professional experience,
yet he confessed that he bad been pain
fully affected before leaving town the
very day before by certain case which
had come under his immediate notice.
A WretChed WOman--an organ-grind-
er, or something Of the sort--had been
picked up by the police, swooning in
the streets, and brought in due course
to st. Georges Hospital, where 1t had
fallen to the duty Of DR.. Hollingshead
to attend her.