Sentence:  But the king he only looked sorrowful, and says: "Gentlemen, I wish the money was there, for I ain't got no disposition to throw anything in the way of a fair, open, out-and-out investigation o' this <WSD>misable</WSD> business; but alas, the money ain't there; you k'n send and see, if you want to." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  miserable.