zjkX Talesfrom Dickens
Charles .Dickens 7?
No. XL Martin Ghuzzlewit
HOW MARTIN LEFT
ENGLAND
MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT was an old
man who, from being poor, be
came so rich that he found not
only that people bowed low and nattered
.him, but that many of his relatives were
trying by every trick to get some of his
money.
He was naturally a suspicious, obstinate
man, and when he saw this he began to
distrust everybody and to think every one
selfish and deceitful. He had loved most
of all his grandson, Martin, but in the end
his heart became hardened to him also.
This was partly Martin's own fault, for
he was somewhat selfish, but he had,
nevertheless, a great deal of good in him.
And perhaps his selfishness was partly his
grandfather's fault, because the latter
had brought him up to believe be would
Inherit all his money and would be very
rich.
At last, ill and grown suspicious of
every one he met, old Chuzzlewlt adopted
a beautiful orphan girl named Mary Gra
ham, and kept her near him as his nurse
and companion. In order that she might
not have any selfish Interest in being
kind to him, he took an oath in her pres
ence that he would not leave her a cent
when he died. He paid her monthly
wages and it was agreed that there should
be no affection wasted between them. In
spite of his seeming harshness, Mary
knew his heart was naturally kind, and
she soon loved him like a father. And
he, softened by her affection, came in
spite of himself to love her as a daughter.
All might have been well but for young
Martin's falling in love with Mary. He
concluded too hastily that his grandfather
would not approve of his marrying her,
and told the old man his intentions in
such a fiery way that Chuzzlowit resented
it. He accused Martin of a selfish at
tempt to steal from him Mary's care, and
at this, Martin, whose temper was as
quick as his grandfather's, flew to anger.
f-?fcy quarreled and Martin left him, de
claring ne wouia nenceioriu mane nis
own way until be was able to claim Mary
for his wife.
While ho was wondering what he should
do, Martin saw in a newspaper the adver
tisement of a Mr. Pecksniff, an architect,
living not many miles from London, who
wished a pupil to board and teach. An
architect was what Martin wanted to be,
and he answered the advertisement at
once and accepted Pecksniff's terms. Now,
to tell the truth, Martin had another rea
son for this. Pecksniff was his grand
father's cousin, and he knew the old man
thought him the worst hypocrite of all
his relatives, and disliked him according
ly. And Martin was so angry with his
grandfather that be went to Pecksniffs
partly to spite b.lm.
Pecksniff was just the man old Chuzzle
wlt thought him. He was a smooth, sleek
hypocrite, with an oily manner. He had
heavy eyelids and a wide, whlskerlesg
throat, and when he talked he fairly oozed
virtuous sayings, for Which people
thought him a most moral and upright
man. He was a widower with two daugh
ters. Charity and Mercy, the older of
whom had a very bitter temper, who
made it hard for the few students as long
as they stayed there.
After Pecksniff had once got a pupil's
money in advance, he made no pretense of
teaching him. He kept him drawing de
signs for buildings, and that was alL If
any of the designs were good, he said
nothing to the pupil, but sold them as his
own. and pocketed the money. His pupils
soon saw through him and none of them
had ever stayed long except one.
This one was named Tom Pinch. He had
been poor and Mr. Pecksniff had pretended
to take him in at a reduced rate. But
really Pinch paid as much as the others,
besides being a clever fellow who made
himself useful in a thousand ways. He
was a .musician, too, and played the or
gan in the village church, which was a
credit to Pecksniff. With all this. Pinch
was a generous, open-hearted lad, who
believed every one honest and true, and
be was s6 grateful to Pecksniff (whose
hypocrisy he never Imagined) that he was
always singing his praises everywhere.
In return for all this, Pecksniff treated
him with contempt and made him quite
like a servant.
Tom Pinch, however, was a favorite
with every one else. He had a sister,
Ruth, who loved him dearly, but he
seldom saw "here, for she was a gov
orness in the bouse of a brass and iron
founder, who did not like her to have
company. One of Tom's greatest friends
li&d been a pupil named John Westlock,
who in vain had tried to open the
other's eyes to Pecksniff's real charac
ter. When Westlock came Into his
money he left and went to live in Lon
don, and it was to take his vacant
place that the new pupil, Martin, was
now coming;
Another friend or Pinch's was Mark
Tapley, a rakish, good-humored fellow,
whose one .ambition was to find a po
sition so uncomfortable and dismal that
he would get some credit for being
jolly in it Tapley was an assistant at
the Blue Dragon, the village inn, whose
plump, rosy landlady was so fond of
him that he might have married her If
be had ohosen to. But, as Tapley said,
there was no credit In being jolly where
he was so comfortable, so he left the
Blue Dragon and went off, too, to Lon
don. With neither Westlock nor Mark Tap
ley there, Tom Pinch was lonely and
welcomed the arrival of Martin, with
whom he soon made friends, while Mr.
Pecksniff folde'd his new pupil to his
breast, shed a crocodile tear and set
him to work designing1 a grammar
school.
. Old Chuzzlowit soon beard where
Martin, his grandson, was, and wrote
to Pecksniff asking him to meet him in
London. Pecksniff was so anxious to
curry favor with the rich old man that,
taking his daughters with him, he left
at once for .London, where they put up
at a boarding-house Icept by a Mrs.
Todgers, while Pecksniff awaited the
arrl'al of old Chuzzlewlt
Mrs. Todgers house smellej. of cab-:
bage and greens and mice, and Mrs.
Todgers herself was bony and wore a
row of curls on the front of her head
like little barrels of flour. But a lot
of young men boarded there, and Char
ity and Mercy enjoyed themselves very
much.
One whom they met on this trip to
London was a remote relative of theirs,
a nephew of old Chuzzlewit's, named
Jonas. Jonas' father was 8D years old
and a miser, and the' son, too, was so
mean and grasping that he often used
to wish his father were dead so he
would have his money. The old father,
Indeed, would have had no friend in
bis own house but for an old clerk,
Chuffey, who had been his schoolmate
in boyhood and had always lived with
him. Chuffey was as old and dusty and
rusty as if he had been put away and
forgotten 50 years before and some one
had Just found him in a lumber closet.
But in his way Chuffey lovod his mas
ter. Jonas called on the two Pecksniff
daughters, and Charity, the eldest, de
termined to marry him. Jones, how
ever, had his own opinion, and made up
his own mind to marry Mercy, her
younger sister.
Before long: Martin's grandfather
reached London, and when Pecksniff
called he told him Martin was an In
gratQ, who had left his protection, and
he asked the architect not to harbor
him. Pecksniff, who worshipped the
other's money and would have be
trayed his best friend for old Chuzzle
wlt's favor, returned home instantly,
heaped harsh names upon Martin and
ordered him to leave his house at once.
Martin guessed what had caused
Pecksniff to change his mind so sud
denly, and with hearty contempt for
his truckling action, he left that very
hour in the rain, though he had only
a single silver piece In his pocket. Tom
Pinch, In great grief for his trouble,
ran after him with a book as a- parting
gift, and between its leaves Martin
found another 6llver piece, all Tom had.
Most of the way to London Martin
walked. Once there he took a cheap
lodging, and tried to find some vessel
on which he could work his passage
to America, for there, as he walked
he had made up his mind to go. But be
found no such opportunity. His money
gone, he pawned first his watch, and
then bis other belongings, one by one,
until be had nothing left, and was even
in distress for food. Yet his pride was
strong, and he save what was almost
his last coin to escape the attentions of
one MontagHe TIgg, a dirty, jaunty,
bold, mean, swaggering, slinking vaga
bond of the shabby-genteel sort, whom
he recognized as one who. had more
than once tried to squeeze money out
of his grandfather.
But at last when he was almost In
despair, a surprise came In the shape
of an envelope addressed to himself,
containing no letter,. but a banknoto
for a generous amount. There was no
clew whatever to the sender, but the
sum was enough to pay his passage and
he determined to sail next day.
While he was stilt wondering at this
good luck Martin chanced to come upon
Mark Tapley, the old assistant of the
Blue Dragon Inn. Tapley had found
London too pleasant a place to be jolly
In with any credit, and, as he had heard
America was a very mournful place,
he proposed to go with Martin.
As it happened, Tapley knew that
Mary Graham was then In London, for
he had seen old Chuzzlewlt going into his
house. When Martin learned this he
sent a letter to her by Tapley. and sho
met him next morning In a little park
nearby. There he told her of his leav
ing Pecksniffs and of his coming voyage.
She was very sorrowful over his de
parture, but he . cheered her by telling
her he would soon return, well and pros
perous, for her. She told him that
Pecksniff seemed somehow to have made
bis grandfather trust him. and that by
his advice they were both to move to the
Blue Dragon Inn, near his house. Martin
told her of Pecksniff's true character,
warned her against him, and begged her
to trust in Tom Pinch as a true friend.
80 they parted, pledging each other their
love whatever befell.
Before Martin left next day Mary sent
him a diamond ring, which he thought
his grandfather had given hor, but for
which in reality she had paid all her
savings, so that he should have with him
something of value to sell If he should be
In want.
So Martin and Mark Tapley took ship
for America, and Mary Graham and old
Chuzzlewlt went to live at the Blue
Dragon, to the huge satisfaction of the
Oily Pecksniff, who thought now he could
easily get the rich old man under his
thumb.
Pecksniff and Old Chuz
zlewit 7TFTER his first burst of anger at
J Martin's leaving him, old Chuzzle
wlt, to Mary's eyes, seemed to grow
gradually a different man. He appeared
more old and stooped and deaf, and took
little Interest in anything. After they
came to the Blue Dragon Inn, Pecksniff
threw himself constantly in the old man's
way. flattering and smooth, and before
long Mary saw, to her grief, that the
old man was coming more and more
under the other's influence. When she
was alone with him he seemed more his
old eager self; but only let Pecksniff ap
pear and the strange dull look would
come and he would seem only anxious to
ask his advice about the smallest mat
ters. Little wonder Pecksniff concluded he
could wind his victim around his finger.
At length he proposed that old Chuzzle
wlt and Mary leave the Blue Dragon,
where, ho said, he felt sure they were
not comfortable, and come and live with
him at his own house. To Mary's dis
may, the old man consented, and they
were soon ensconced In tho architect's
house.
The only thing that now seemed to
stand in Pecksniffs way was Mary, and
he decided that as. old Chuzzlewlt was
fond of her he himself would marry her.
Once married to lhrt he -reasoned, .with
THE STODAYr
Z54ZZr ERMINIE
4?
both of them to influence old Chuzzle
wlt. it would be easy to do what they
pleased with him, and with his money,
too. With this end in view, he began
to persecute poor Mary with his at
tentions, squeezing her hand and throw
ing kisses to her when no one else was
looking.
Charity, Pecksniffs older daughter,
was not blind to his plan. She was in a
sour temper because the miserly Jonas,
who came from London often now to see
them had begun to make love to Mercy
Instead of to her. To see her father
now paying so much attention to Mary
Graham made Charity angry, and she
left her father's house and went to live
In London at Mrs. Todger's boarding
house, where she set her cap to catch a
young man. whether he wanted to marry
her or not. As for Mercy, the younger
sister, she was leading Jonas such a
dance that she thought very little of her
father's schemes.
The Vinegary Charity out of the way,
Pecksniff began to persecute Mary more
and more. One day he made her so angry
by holding her hand and kissing it that
she threatened to complain to old
Chuzzlewlt. Pecksniff told her that if
she did he would use all his Influence to
turn the old man still more against his
WITH Tins END IX VIEW PECKSNIFF BEAN TO " PERSECUTE TOOK MART WITH HIS ATTENTIONS.
grandson. The poor girl was 'in great
trouble then, for she loved Martin and
feared Pecksniffs growing power, with
Chuzzlewlt And seeing that this threat
frightened hor, Pecksniff continued his
annoyances.
According to Martin's parting advice
Mary had learned to like and to trust
Tom Pinch, In spite of his mistaken wor
ship of Pecksniff. One day while Tom
was practicing the organ at the church
she came to him and confiding in him,
told ail that she had endured. In his
simple-heartedness he had admired and
looked up to Pecksniff all his life, but
this evidence opened his eyes. At last he
saw the pompous hypocrite In his true
light. He agreed with her that the arch
itect was a scoundrel and comforted
her, and asked her always to "trust In his
own friendship.
Unluckily while they talked there was
an eavesdropper near. It was Pecksniff
himself. He had gone into the church
to rest, and lying down In one of the
high back pews, had gone to sleep, and
now the voices of Tom and Mary had
awakened him. He listened and waited
till they had both gone; then he stole
out and went home by a roundabout way.
That night ho went to old Chuzzlewlt
and, protending to shed tears of sorrow,
told him ho had overheard Tom Pinch,
the pauper pupil, whom ho had trusted
and befriended, making love to Mary, the
old man's ward, Inthe church. Making
a great show of his respect and rogard
for old Chuzzlewlt, he told him this vil
lain should not remain under his roof
one night longer. Then he called In -Tom
Pinch and. abusing and insulting him in
Chuzzlewlt s presence, sent him away as
he had sent, away Martin.
Tom was feeling so bad over his loss of
faith in his Idol, Pecksniff, that he did
not greatly mind this last blow. In fact,
he had about concluded he could not live
any longer with such a wicked hypocrite
anyway. He packed his things and set
off for London, feeling almost as If the
world had come to an end.
Once there, however, he plucked up
spirit and felt better. First of all he
looked up Westlock, the former pupil of
Pecksniff, whom he had found the same
friendly, clever fellow now in his riches
as he was of old. Westlock was glad
that Pinch had at last found his master
out, and began at once to plan for his
future. Next Tom went to see his sister
Ruth at the house where she was gov
erness. He arrived there at a fortunate time,
for the vulgar brass-and-Iroh founder who
had hired her to try to teach his spoiled
little daughter, was at that moment
scolding Ruth harshly for what was not
her fault at all. Tom had been gaining
a spirit of his own since he had parted
from Pecksniff, and, now. at sight of his
gentle little sister's tears, his honest In
dignation rose. He gave her unjust em
ployer a lecture that left him much as
tonished, and thon, drawing Ruth's arm
through his, he led her from the house
forever.
It was not long before each had told
the other all uiat had happened. Tom
decided that they should part no more,
and they set out together to find a lodg
ing. They took some rooms In a quiet
neighborhood and settled down together
till Tom should find something to do.
Ruth was a neat housekeeper, but she
had to learn to cook, and they had great
fun over their first meal. While she was
making her first beefsteak pudding West
lock called with a great piece of news.
An agent; bad come to hint askiac him to.
OBEGOSTIAy, PORTLAND,
Author of
"The Castaway"
Hearts Courageous',
. etc. r q-
Cnorrtchi. '8H fej Halltt Emit Ui"
A. nif.HTS BEPKRVF.O
offer to his friend Tom. Pinch a position
as a librarian at a good salary. Who
tho employer was Tom was not to know.
Here was a rare mystery, and Ruth In
her mingled excitement and ple-maklng
looked so sweet and charming that then
and there Westlock fell In love with her.
Tom and he went at once to the agent
who 'had made this extraordinary offer,
and he" took them to an unoccupied house,
to a dusty room whose floor was covered
all oyer with books. Tom. he said, was
to arrange and make a list of these.
Then he gave him the key, told him to
come to him each week for his salary,
and disappeared.
Still wondering, the two friends went
back together, for of course Westlock had
to taste the beefsteak pudding. Ruth had
supper waiting for them. Every minute
Westlock thought she grew more lovely,
and as he walked home he knew fee was
In love at last.
Now, the mystery of Tom's library, and
of the banknoto that Martin had received
when his money was all gone, would have
been a very Joyful one to them both If
they could have guessed It. Old Chuzzle
wlt, whom they believed so harsh, and
whom the wily Pecksniff thought he had
got under his thumb, was a very deep
and knowing old man Indeed. He had
never ceased to love Martin, his grandson,
though he had misunderstood him at first,
but he had seen very plainly the lad was
growing selfish and wished to save him
from this. He had longed for nothing
more than that Martin and Mary should
marry, but he wished to try their love
for each other as well as Martin's af
fection for him. It was to test Pecksniff
that Chuzzlewlt had asked the architect
to send Martin from his house, and when
he saw that Pecksniff was fawning hound
enough to do It, he determined to punish
him in the end. It was Chuzzlewlt who
nad found where Martin lodged in Lon
don, and had sent him the banknote. And,
won by Tom Pinch's goodness and honor,
It was he who now, secretly, made this
position for him.
If Pecksniff had guessed this, he would
probably have had a stroke of apoplexy.
Jonas Gets Rid of an
Enemy
JONAS, meanwhile. In his cruel, miser
ly soul, had been wishing that his old
father would hurry and die. He wanted
tho money and ho wanted to marry Mercy
Pecksniff, and to do both he preferred the
old man out of his way. He thought of
this and wished it so long that at last
he began to think of helping the matter
along.
His father kept in a drawer some cough
lozenges which he constantly used. Jonas
at last bought some potion from a dissi
pated man who needed money badly, and
made some lozenges like them. These he
put In his father's drawer Instead of tho
others.
His father, however, and Chuffey, the
old cleric, noticed the difference, and they
guessed what Jonas had done. The shock
of discovering that his own son. had tried
to murder -him proved the old man's
death. He made Chuffey promise not to
betray Jonas, thon fell In a fit and never
spoke again.
Jonas naturally thought the poison had
done the work, and was at first In dreadful
fear of discovery. He made a fine funeral,
with four-horse coaches, velvet trappings
and silver plate, so that people would
think he loved his father, and It was not
till the body was buried that he forgot
his dread.
Chuffey, however, seemed to go almost
daft. Ho would walk and cry and wring
his hands and talk so strangely about his
master's death that Jonas feared he would
cause suspicion tnat all was not right.
So he hired a nurse to come and keep him
In his room.
This nurse went by the name of "Sairy"
Gamp. She was a fat old woman, with a
red face, a husky voice and a moist eye,
which often turned up so as to show only
the white of it. Wherever she went she
carried a faded umbrella with a round
white patch on top of It, and she always
sraelled of whisky. Mrs. Gamp was fond
of talking of a certain Mrs. Harris, whom
she spoke of as a dear friend, but whom
nobody clso had ever seen. When she
wanted to say something nice of herself
she would put It In the mouth of Mrs.
Harris. She was always quoting, "I says
to Mrs. Harris." or "Mrs. Harris says to
me." People used to say there was nd
such person at all, .but this never failed
to make Mrs. Gamp very angry. She was
jr. cruet nyxH, and &c &y. et BWk&jr
APElU 30, 1905.
RIVES,
sick man swallow a dose of medicine was
by choking him till ho gasped and then
putting the spoon down his throat.
Such was the guardian Jonas chose to
keep old. Chuffey quiet In London, whilo
he himself courted Pecksniff's daughter at
her father's house. And It was not very
long before he proposed to Mercy and they
were married.
If Pecksniff had searched London he
could not have found a worse man for
his daughter to marry. But Pecksniff
cared for nothing but money, and, as
Jonas was now rich, he pretended great
love for his now son-in-law and went
around with his hands clasped and his eyes
lifted to heaven !n pious than fulness. As
for Jonas, he began to treat Mercy bru
tally and soon she was tho most miser
able of wives.
Jonas, meanwhile, had fallen in with a
very prosperous individual. This was none
other than Montague Tigg, the bold,
jaunty, swaggering, shabby-genteel TIgg,
who had once been glad to beg a coin
from anyone he knew. But now he bad
changed In both appearance and name.
His face was covered with glossy black
whiskers, his clothes were the costliest,
his jewelry the most expensive, and his
name and title was now Mr. TIgg Mon-
tague. president of the. 'great "Anglo
Bengalce Company."
The Anglo-Bengalee Company was a
business which pretended to insure peo
ple's lives. It had fine offices with new
furniture, new paper and a big brass plate
on the door. It looked most solid and re
spectable, but It was really a trap, for
TIgg and Its other officers were only wait
ing until they had taken in enough money
before they ran away with it to a foreign
country. Jonas, sham as he was, was de
ceived Into believing it an honest enter
prise. He came there to get his wife's life
Insured, and bo he met, TIgg.
Tigg, however, knowing Jonas of old,
knew he had a great deal of money of his
own, and he thought, too, that he might
influence Mr. Pecksniff, now his father-ln-law.
TIgg flattered Jonas accordingly by
teinng him what a sharp man He was and
offered to make him a director In tho
company. He assured Jonas there would
be enormous profits, and showed him how
by putting his own money In it he could
cheat other people out of much more. This
Idea tickled Jonas and he agreed.
Having got thus far, TIgg hired a spy
named Nadgctt to see If he could discover
whether Jonas had ever committed any
crime the knowledge of which would put
him in their power. Nadgctt began bis
work, got on the right side of "Sairy"
Gamp, the nurse, found out how old Cruf
fee was locked up for fear he might talk,
and soon had a suspicion that Jonas had
been concerned In his father's death.
As an experiment Tigg boldly charged
him with It one day, and knew in an In
stant by the way Jonas' face whitened
with fear that he had stumbled on the
truth. He then told Jonas he not only
must put into the company more of his
own money, but he must persuade Peck
sniff to do likewise, and Jonas for his life
dared not now refuse him. He thought of
escaping to some other country, but now
wherever he turned he found Tlggs spies
watching, and at last, maddened by his
dread, he determined on a.second murder
to hide the first the murder of Tigg, who
knew his secret.
Tigg did not forget his plan to ensnare
Pecksniff. To do this he took Jonas by
carriage from London and, mile by mile,
as they sped, tho latter laid his plans.
Near their destination nature came near
assisting him. In a storm the carriage
was upset and Tigg was thrown under tho
horses' feet. Jonas kicked and lashed tho
struggling horses, hoping they would
trample and kill his companion, but the
driver pulled him out Just in time.
They finally reached the Blue Dragon
Inn. and there next day Jonas brought
Pecksniff to dine with Tigg. Though
Pecksniff pretended he took the Idea a3
a joke, yet the thought of cheating other
people for big profits was very attractive
to him, and before evening was over he
had fallen into the trap and had promised
next day to give Tigg his money for the
wonderful Anglo-Bengalee Company.
Jonas, his part of the bargain finished,
went back to London. There, after tell
ing Mercy not to disturb him, as ho ex
pected to sleep all next day, he locked
himself la his room. When It was dark
he dressed himself in a rough suit that
he had prepared for disguise, let himself
out by a back way and took the stage
back again to the village where he had
left Tigg with Pecksniff.
He lay in wait In a wood through which
TIgg passed after his last call on Peck
sniff and there he killed him with a club.
' - ' . i'
TV m
the darkness and let himself into his room
again, thinking no one Ijad noticed his
aosence.
But there had been an eye at the shut
ter of the window In the house opposite
that did not fall to qbserve. Jonas when he
went and when be came. And this eye
belonged to Nadgctt. the spy.
What Came of Martin's
Trip to America
HILE these things were occurring,
much had happened to Martin and
Mark Tapley far away In America,
The sailing vessel on which they crossed
was crowded and dirty, and in .order to
husband their money they had taken pas
sage In the steerage. For a long time
Martin was very seasick, and even when
he grew better he was so ashamed at
having to travel in the worst and cheap
est part of the vessel that he would not
go on deck. But Tapley had none of this
falsa pride. He made friends with all,
helped every one' he could and soon be
came such a general favorite that (as he
thought sadly) he was having much too
good a time for him to be JoHy with any
credit.
The long voyage of so many weeks came
to an end at last, and they reached New
York. They found It a strange place in
deed, and met many strange characters in
It, Only ono they met pleased them; a
gentleman named Bevan, and from him
they got much information and advice.
There seemed, however, to be little open
ing for an architect In New York, and
Martin at length decided to go West and
settle In some newer region.
In the Western town where they left
the train they found a land agent who
was selling lots In a new settlement, on
the Mississippi River, called "Eden." To
buy their train tickets Martin had already
sold the diamond ring which Mary had
given him. and he had just enough left
ta purchase a tract of land in "Eden" and
to jjay their fare there. Martin looked
over the agent's splendid plans of the new
town, showing wharves, churches and
public buildings, and thought it a capital
town for a young architect; so they closed
the bargain without more ado and took
the next stoamer down the desolate Mis
sissippi. A .terrible disappointment awaited them
when they found what "Eden" really
was a handful of rotting log cabins set In
a swamp. The wharves and public build
ings existed only on the agent's map with
which ho had to cruelly cheated them.
There were only a few wan men alive,
there the rest had succumbed to the
sickly hot vapor that rose from the
swamp and hung in the air. At the sight
of what they bad come to, Martin lay
down and wept in very despair. But for
hlscomrade's cheerfulness he would have
wholly given up hope.
Next morning Martin found himself
in the grip of the deadly fever with
which the place reeked, and for many
days thereafter he lay helpless and
burning, nursed like a child by
the faithful Mark Tapley. When
he had begun to recover It came the
other's turn to fall sick and Martin took
his place at nursing.
Through all Tapley never complained.
At last he found himself in circumstances
where to be jolly was really a credit to
anybody. He always insisted that he
was In great spirits, and whon he was
weakest anu could not speak he wrote
"jolly" on a slate for Martin to see.
Watching his sick friend day by day
Martin came to know himself truly and
to see his own selfishness. As he nursed
Tapley to health again he determined to
root It out of his nature and to return
to England a nobler man. He began to
think not of what he had sacrificed for
Mary, but of what she would have sac
rificed for him, and to wish with all his
heart that ho had not parted from his
grandfather in anger. And even before
Tapley was ablo to sit up Martin had
determined to return as soon as possible
to England.
. He laid aside his pride and wrote to
Bevan, who had befriended them In New
York, to borrow money enough to bring
them both to that city. Once there,
Tapley found a position as cook In the
same ship that had brought them from
England and his wages proved sufficient
to pay for Martin's passage. So Martin
started back to the home he had parted
from a year before, poorer than he had
left It, but at heart a better and -a
sounder man. His false pride was gone
now. He mingled with others and helped
them, and by the time they landed ho
was as popular as a passenger as Mark
Tapley was as a cook.
Almost the first man they saw on land
ing, curiously enough, was the oily Peck
sniff. They saw him escorted along the
street, pointed out by tho crowds as "the
great architect." They soon discovered
that on that day the cornerstone of a
splendid public building was to be laid,
and that Pecksniffs design for this
structure had taken tho prize. They went
with the crowd to hear Pecksniffs
speech, and looking over a gentleman's
shoulder at a picture of the building as
it was to look, Martin saw that It was
the very grammar school he himself had
designed when he had first come to
Pecksniff's, and which tho old rascal
had stolon.
Martin was angry, of course, but there
was no help for it, and besides he had
other things to think of. Mary Graham,
tc be sure, was bis first thought, and he
and Tapley set out at once for the Blue
Dragon to learn the latest news.
Tho rosy landlady laughed and cried
together to see them and Mark Tapl6y
kissed her so many times that she was
quite out of breath. She cooked the finest
dinner In the world for them and told
them all she k;new about their friends;
how Tom Pinch had been sent away, and
how everyone said that Pecksniff Intend
ed to marry Mary. This news made
Martin grind his teeth, and It would have
been unlucky for the architect if he had
been near at that moment.
Martin first sent Tapley with a note
addressed to his grandfather, but Peck
sniff, who came to the door, tore up the
letter before the bearer's face, He told
Martin of this, and together they forced
themselves into the house, and into the
room where old Chuzzlewlt sat, with
Pecksniff beside him, and Mary standing
behind his chair.
Martin's grandfather hardly looked at
him. keeping his eyes on Pecksniffs face,
as though he depended on "him even for
his thoughts. Martin, seeing this, was
almost hopeless, but he did as he had
determined, and in a few manly words
begged old Chuzzlewlt's pardon for his
own haste and temper, and asked him to
t& liKfe 4q bis favor. While fcq
j'ffae Ermmie 'Rives Jjf
talked, Mary had hidden her face in her
hands and was weeping, for she believed
his grandfather so wholly in Pecksniffs
power that she had no hope for Martin.
Pecksniff was in rare good humor, for
It was that very day that he had turned
his money over to Tigg to make a for
tune for him in the great Anglo-Bengalee
Company. Now, rejoicing In his oppor
tunity, he took it upon himself to answer.
He called Martin a shameless, cowardly
vagabond and ordered him from the door.
Then he gave his arm to the old man
and led him from the room.
Martin clasped Mary for a moment in
his arms as'he kissed her and told her
Co keep up heart. Then he left he
house and set out with Mark Tapley for
London.
Old Chuzzlewit's Plot
Succeeds
WHERE was tho guilty Jonas mean
while? Shivering at every soupd.
listening for the news that TIgg's body
had been found In the" wood, wondering
if by any chance the crime might be laid
on him.
Already fate was weaving a net about
his feet. The mon from whom he had
bought the poison to kill hl3 father had
fallen very 111. and In his illness had re
pented of the part he had played. He had
confessed to Westlock, whom, before he
had fallen into wicked company, he had
once known. Westlock, since old Chuz
zlewlt had been the brother of Jonas
father. sent for him, and he.
too. was told the story of the pur
chased poison. Then together the three
went to Jonas' bouse and brought him
face to face with his accuser.
Confronted with their evidence Jonas
gave himself up for lost, but old Chuffey,
whom he had so abused, eluded the watch
ful eye of "Sairy" Gamp and entered just
In tlmo to keep his promise to his dead
master and to clear Jonas, the son. He
told them how it had really happened:
How Jonas had Intended to kill his father
and how his death had been duo not to
the poison, which he had never taken, but
to the knowledge of his son's wicked
ness. Jonas, In the reaction from his fear,
laughed aloud, and was abusively order
ing them to leave, when the door opened
and the color suddenly left his cheeks.
Policemen stood there, and at their head
was Nadgett, the spy.
In another moment there were handcuffs
on his Vrtsts and h knew that not only
had the murder of Tigg been discovered
but that every action of his own on that
fatal night had been traced and that he
was surely doomed to die on the gallows.
When ho realized that he was lost ho fell
to the floor in pitiable fear. They put
him In a wagon to take him to jail, but
when they arrived there they found him
motionless in his seat. He had swallowed
some of his own poison which he carried
In his pocket, and was as dead as any
hangman could have made him.
Old Chuzzlewlt had yet another purpose
to carry out before he left London, and
for this purpose he asked Westlock to
meet him in his rooms at a certain hour
next day. He sent besides for Tom Pinch
and his sister Ruth, for his grandson Mar
tin and Mark Tapley, and last, but not
least, for Pecksniff himself, all to meet
him there at the same moment.
All save Pecksniff arrived together, and
grcahy astonished most of them were,
you may be sure, to see old Chuzzlewlt
so changed. For now the old, dull, bent
look had vanished. His eyes were bright,
his form erect and every feature eager
and full of purpose. Even Mary scarcely
knew what to make of it.
As they sat wondering and waiting.
Pecksniff came hurriedly in, to start back
as if at a shock of electricity. But he
recovered himself, and- clasped his hands
with a look of pious joy to see old Chuzzle
wlt safe and well. Then he looked around
him and shook his head.
"Oh, vermin! Oh, bloodsuckers!" he said.
"Horde of unnatural plunderers and rob
bers! Begone! Leave him and do not stay
in a spot hallowed by the gray hairs of
this patriarchal gentleman!"
He advanced with outstretched arms to
the old man, but he had not seen how
tightly old Chuzzlewit's hand clasped the
walking-stick he held. The latter. In one
groat burst of indignation, rose up, and
with a single blow stretched him on the
ground. Mark Tapley dragged him Into a
corner and propped him against tho wall,
and In this ridiculous position, cringing,
and with his assurance all departed, he.
listened, as did they all, to the story the
old man told.
He told the assembled company how the
curse of selfishness had seemed to him
always to rest upon his family. How he
had misunderstood Martin, his best loved
grandson, and how he had seen Pecksniff
doing his best to add to this bad feeling.
He beckoned Martin to him and put
Mary's hand In his, as ho told how he had
tested them both and had at last resolved
to see to what length the hypocrisy of
Pecksniff would load him. How to this
end he had pretended feebleness of mind
and planned and plotted finally to expose
Pecksniff and set all right.
When he had finished, the door was
opened and Pecksniff looking all shrunk
en and frowsy and yellow, passed out,
never to enter again into the lives of any
of them.
There was a great and joyful gathering
that night, when all of these so strangely
united took dinner together. Martin sat
beside Mary, while Westlock walked home
with Ruth, and before they reached there
she had promised to bo his wife.
Martin and Mary were married soon,
and old Chuzzlewlt made Martin his heir.
Ho also gavo a home to Poor Mercy, the
wife of tho dead Jonas. Tom Pinch lived
a long and happy life In the home which
Westlock made for Ruth, where he had
k fine organ on which he played every
day. Mark Tapley, of course, married the
rosy landlady of the Blue Dragon, and set
tled down at the Inn. which he renamed
the "Jolly Tapley."
Charity Pecksniff succeeded In ensnaring
her young man at last. The day they
were to be married, however, he did not
come to the church, but ran off to Van
Dleman's Land, and she lived and died a
vinegary, shrewish old maid. As for,
Pecksniff, himself, having lost all his"
money In the Anglo-Bengalee Company
(which, of course, wont to pieces on
Tlgg's death), he sank lower andMower,
till at last a drunken, squalldSlcr'man.
he eked out a miserable existence, writing
whining, begging letters to the very peo
ple whom he had once labored so hard to
make unhappy.