The Winslow mail., 1897-05-22
MR.. BOFFIN AND
THE BAIITFFS,

butler,
Its wicked shame, that's wot it
i is, Mr.. Boffin," chimed in Mrs. Asprey,
the housekeeper.
Couldn't have b'leved it of the
guy'nor. Never, till this minnit, know d
him to do anything but wot was puffick-
| ly genteel."
"Ah, Mr.. Botfin. One don't know
where to truStr'
IF he'd told me l wouldn't have
taken it so crOol. But to let us in for
the bailiffs like this, without word of
warning, and him a kicking up is 'eels
on 'oliday. Well, it's a dirtier trick
than | knows 'Ow to express, Mrs. AS
prey. And me served him faithful,
too, for twenty years.
Il 'ope that when you're writing to
him, Mr.. Boffin, you'll put it to him
quite straight
You may trust me, mem. l shall be
pufiickly candid. Oh yes. He'll fidget
In his chair when he reads my letter to-
morrow. II the posthorfice wouldn't be
shut before a messenger could get
there I'd send him Il wire. But as it is
there's no chance of his getting back
ere till termorrow night"
IF he comes at all, Mr. Bofiin."
ooh, | think he'll come, mem. He'll
ave the proper feeling to come when he
gets my letter, Mrs. Asprey."
Don't you count upon his proper feel
ing, Mr.. Boftin? If he'd have had much
proper feeling he'd never have served
us this nasty trick. Borrowing fifteen
undred from a Jew. l never! And
him always pretended to be rollin' in
money. Well. He don't owe us much
wages, that's one comfort
''No, mem! He've always paid our
wages to the day. That we must al
low"
Just his artfulness. Mr.. Boffin. A
cheap way of keeping up his credit
while he was running into debt. | can
see through it now
And only last week, mem--if you'll
believe mel brought him in wine
bill for seventy-odd pounds, and he set
tied it as easy and casual as lord
"Ah, Mr.. Boffin Brazening it out to
the last
IF anyone said the butler. oracu-
larly, had told me an hour ago that the
guv'nor wosn't as safe as the Bank of
England I'd have said to that man,
You're a liar and you knows it, And
now to have the bailiffs in!''
AS Mr. Boffin spoke a footman popped
his head into the housekeepers room,
where the above dialogue was taking
place.
BEG pard'n, Mr.. Boffin, sir; but one
of them gents is arsking for yer"
''Thank you, William; you may tell
the feller that Ill attend TO him at my
leesure," said Mr.. Boftin, with extreme
dignity.
VERY good, Mr.. B0ftin, sir
And William departed with the mes
sage.
ITO think of your being hordered
about and 'ectored over by those low
chapsr exclaimed the housekeeper,
with sympathetic Indignation.
"Beggin your pardon, Mrs. Asprey,
but Pm not being hordered about, nor
yet ectored over, men," (Mr. Boffin
drew up his short obese person TO its
full height) "And l sent 'em that mes
sage on purpose to let 'em see it. But
am going to see what their next move
Is, not becos' they horders me-for
knows better than to take hOrders from
such vermin-but becoS' I'm the guv'-
nor's representatives; and, shabby as he
! has be'aved to me after twenty years
service. | still considers myself the
trustee, so to speak. of his interests
and his property"
With this speech, delivered in his
most impressive manner, Mr.. Bof1fn
q{itted the housekeeper and went to
join the sheriffs officers in the large
trout hall.
There were two of them. The one. a
sQuare-built. bOW-legged, unwh0lesOme-
faced man, seedily dressed and of vul-
gar aspect; the other, Il far smarter,
more pleaSant-l0Oking and more pre-
sentable individual who might easily
have passed for well-to-do clerk or
collector. From the first he had taken
the lead-indeed, the b0W-legged man
had scarcely opened his mouth-and
was evidently the boss and spokesman
of the pair.
Sorry to trouble YOU" he said to Mr..
Boffin, quite civilly. but before l go,
and leave my man here in possession. |
shall have to take m inventory of your
masters effects. and thought that YOU
might like to 90 round with me while |
do so.
"Certainly l shall wish 10 keep my
heye 0n YOU. Young man." rctorted the
butler, with distant frigidity.
Yes. or course Quite so. remark
ed the other, carelessly. as he produced
a notebook from his pocket Now
then We may as we'll begin here-eh
Umph"' twritingl Front hall-Turkey
carpet, oak table, four oak chairs
ecclesiastical pattern. fancy hatrack.
case stuffed pheasants. oak stand for
same" etc. until he had iotted down
all the hall furniture in his notebook.
We'll, where next: Dining-room-
eh? Very good. Umph! Turkey car
pet No. > TwO-four-six- -eight-ten
twelve Chippendale chairs-red mo-
rocco: large mahogany table, antique
sideboard-splendid piece, too; ten
large portraits in oils-ancestors, l pre-
sumo. All. fine painting that over the
sidehoard-a Romney? Thought so.
Beautiful! bea-u-tifulr'
s'Thank you, young man. Its really