“For me?” John Holl repeated, still incredulous.
“Yes, for you, father,” James said. “Don’t you see mother believes it?”
John Holl took the cripple’s hand now. His voice trembled.
“It’s too much, lad, it’s altogether too much. We couldn’t take it, my boy. We only did our duty, James—Sairey and me.”
“You need have no hesitation, John,” Prescott said, putting his hand upon the man’s shoulder, “Captain Bradshaw is very rich. This is really nothing to him. He feels under a great obligation to you; and besides, he likes to give pleasure to James. You can’t help it now. It’s all paid for, and you are John Holl, dust contractor. We watched you go out, and sent the child whom you left at home to fetch the others from school. Your eldest girl is packing up the things, a cart was to be at the door half an hour afterwards, and your things and the children will all be here by five o’clock. James is going to stay with you till seven, and then a cab will call for him. So your wife must set to and make you at home. There is a girl in the kitchen, and a fire, and everything ready. So mother will only have to get tea as usual. Now I will leave you.” And Prescott went out and left them to their happiness.
Several times in the next half hour John Holl went out into the yard, and spelt over the name “John Holl, dust contractor,” and repeated it over many times to himself. It was not until six o’clock, when the whole family were seated round the table, James at his old place by Sarah’s side as half laughing half crying she cut up the bread and butter, that John really realised to himself that it must be true, and that he was really and identically “John Holl, Dust Contractor.”
CHAPTER X
WELL MATCHED.
Mr. Barton closed the office immediately after the departure of Arthur Prescott, and went straight home. Very wrath was his wife when he told her the events of the day.
“You are a miserable cur, Barton, and I always told you so.” This was all the comfort he got from Rachel. Presently she continued, “at any rate, you ought to get a round sum out of that young Bingham for that paper he gave you.”