“Well, bless the man, you know what I mean. Stealing up so quietly, like a robber or thief in the night.”
“Oh! Not come to steal, but to beg.”
“Beg, Mr Thickens? What, a subscription for something?”
“No. I was coming by. Mr Hallam wants the book on his shelf, ‘Brown’s Investor.’”
“Oh, I see. Come in, Mr Thickens!” she exclaimed warmly. “I’ll get the book.”
“Won’t come in, thank you.”
“Now do, Mr Thickens, and have a glass of wine and a bit of cake.”
The quiet, dry-looking clerk shook his head and smiled.
“Plenty of gossips in the town, Mrs Pinet, without my joining the ranks.”
“Now that’s unkind, Mr Thickens. I only wanted to ask you if you thought it true that Mr Bayle is going to marry Miss Millicent Luttrell; Mr Gemp says he is.”