Our Mutual Friend

a smooth shadow over the river, and like a smoother shadow over the yielding grass. The voice of the falling water, like the voices of the sea and the wind, we

drawn out; and the wine of sentiment never having been got

any one else, he had aggressive inclinations towards himself. In one of these starts the cry of 'Lock, ho! Lock!' prevented his relapse into a doze. Shak

t'; then went to work at his windlass handles and sluices, to let the sculler in. As the latter stood in his boat, holding on by the boat-hook to the woodwork at the lock sid

ock between the two sets of gates, until the water should rise and the second gates should open and let it out. When Riderhood had run to his second windlass and turned it, and w

ng the boat up, so that the sculler gradually rose like an apparition against the light from the bargeman's point of view.

mplaining and opening. The T'other governor tossed it ashore,

id Eugene, seating himself preparatory to re

ou for it, nor yet none to Lawyer Li

he next candidate-the one who will offer himself when you are tra

huge teetotums standing at rest in the water, and was almost hidden by the drooping boughs on the left bank, as he rowed away, keeping out of the opposing current. It being then too late to retort with any effect-if t

having gathered a few blades, fell to chewing them. The dip of Eugene Wrayburn's sculls had become hardly audible in his ears when the bargeman passed him, putting the utmost width t

stopped, an

st gov-er-nor-or-or-or!' cried Mr Ri

and nearer, the bargeman became Bradley Heads

ing, as he sat on the grass, 'if you ain't ha' been a imitating me

mitted it to memory, and slowly got it by heart. It was exactly reproduced in the dress he now wore. And whereas, in his own schoolmaster clothes,

enuine air; 'they told me, where I last inquired, it w

nd shake of his head, 'that you've dropped one in your counti

ction the boat had taken, a flush of impatience mounted i

ing up,' said Riderhood, when the schoo

o you suppose I have been

rd for it. Hows'ever, p'raps you call it so,'

. W

f you like,' was the coolly grow

that I should un

' and took, deadly aggrawations

mer flush of impatience out of his face, or so master his e

es it easy. You can soon come up with him. But wot's the good of saying that to you! you know how fur you could

been following h

have,' sai

mitted. 'But,' with another anxiou

'He must leave his boat behind him. He can't make a bundle o

radley, kneeling on one knee on the grass

said Ri

ha

e said. He can't say nothing but cheek. I'd ha' liked to plump do

face for a few moments, and then

mn

Does you credit! Hooroar! I c

at self-repression that forced him to wipe

od, with sullen ferocity, 'of hoping

him get ready for his fate, when that comes about. There was more meaning in what he said than he knew of, or he wouldn't have had brains enough to say it. Let him look to

master said these words with the utmost concentration of rage and hatred. So, when the words w

ng out the grass he had been chewing. 'Then, I

esterday. I have hardly a doubt, this

n't sur

at the breast of his coarse shirt, 'as if it was

dding himself of his grass, and drawing his sleeve across his mouth, 'you'

ding forward to lay his hand upon the Lock-

s eyes on the passion-wasted face. 'Your working d

erruption aside with an impatient hand, 'since they began. A

seen him with her

ome back

irection the boat had taken, as if by tacit consent; Bradley pressing forward, and Riderhood holding back; Bradley getting out his neat prim purse into his han

nd for you,'

wo,' said

s left hand open, with a certain slight drawing action towards himself. Bradley dipped in his purse for another sovereign

fool!-to confuse observation, or divert attention, if not solely to baffle me. B

pinted agin, T'otherest, maybe you'll put

wil

from which a long stretch of river was visible. A stranger to the scene might have been certain that here and there along the line of hedge a figure stood, watching the bargeman, an

Walworth, and the King, that it is dutiful for youth to know, there was but one subject living in the world for every sharp destructive instrument that summer even

on after it. Sparkles of light showed Riderhood when and where the rower dipped his blades, until, even as he stood idly watching, the sun went down and

at he wanted to look like, without that.' This was the subject-matter in his thoughts; in which, too, there came lumbering up, by times, like any half floating and half sinking rubbish in the river, the question, Wa

s bright red neckerchief stained black here and there by wear. It arrested his attention, and he sat pausing over it, until he took off the rusty colourless wisp that he wore round his throat, and substituted the red neckerchief,

oze. In due course he had let the barge through and was alone again, looking to the closing

erhood. 'Back a' r

atigued and hoarse reply. 'He goes on, up the river, at six

od, making towards the schoo

t follow. I have been waiting about, until I could discover, for a certainty, at what time he starts; if I couldn't have made sure of it, I should have stayed there.-Thi

'Not even, if his hands warn't tied, he wouldn't. Shut him in at both end

and run across it, in this uncertain light, on a few inches width of

be!' said

n't be

can't be drowned. I wouldn't have that there busted B'lowbridger aware on it, or her people might make it tell agin' the damages I mea

ted in one of his pupils, and continued to look down into t

like it,' s

and. It was fierce, and full of purpose; but the purpose might have been as much against himself as against another. If he had stepped back for a spring, taken a leap, and thro

h a sidelong glance, 'as you had come back for a couple o' hours' res

? Y

me in and take your c

k you

e latter produced from a cupboard some cold salt beef and half a loaf, some gin in a bo

'd better take a bite and a sup, afore you takes your snooze.' The draggling ends o

squint at it then.' With which reflection he sat down on the other side of the table, thr

f, as if he were correcting his slow observation and prompting his sluggish memory. 'When you're ready for your snooze,' said t

ey. And soon afterwards, divesting himself o

to find that it was daylight, and that his visitor was already astir, and going out to the river-side to cool his head:-'Though I'm blest,' muttered Riderhood at the Lock-house door, looking after him, 'if I think there's water en

of Bradley. The second day was sultry and oppressive. In the afternoon, a thunderstorm came up, and h

h her!' exclaimed Ri

hav

he

rder. Then, I saw him wait for her and meet her. I saw them'-he stopped as though

did yo

thi

you goin

d. Immediately afterwards, a great

t happen?' as

es-four times-I don't know how many times-since last night. I taste

ood away. All beyond his figure, as Riderhood looked from the door, was a vast dark curtain in solemn movement towards one quarter of the heavens. H

ike a ghost's,'

e a ghost?' was

y, you're qui

ce I left here. I don't remember that I h

w, then,' sa

ve me something to qu

a weak draught, and another, and drank both in quic

't,' replie

a wild and desperate manner, 'you asked me somethi

backing a little. 'I asked y

hands, with an action so vigorously angry that he shook the water from his sleeves u

as said,' returned the oth

erhaps y

ept last; the sounder and longer you can sleep, th

at poor couch to Bradley's wandering remembrance. He slipped off his worn d

again and again he looked very curiously at the exhausted man upon the bed. The man had turned up the collar of the rough coat he wore, to shelter himself from the storm, and had buttoned it about his neck. Unconsc

w him in the darkness of the storm; sometimes he saw nothing of him in the blinding glare of palpitating white fire. Anon, the rain would come again with a tremendous rush, and the river would seem to rise to meet it, and a blast of wind, bursting upon the door, would flutter the

ig

e and that noticing of me that my getting out of my chair may wak

d, in a low, calm voice, 'are you a lying easy? There's a

ans

muttered Riderhood in a lower and a differen

he storm from the window. It was a grand spectacle, but not so grand as to keep h

riously, until the sleep seemed to deepen into the stupor of the dead-tired in min

lest he should start up; 'this here coat of his must make him uneasy in his sleep. Shall I loosen

aining in profound unconsciousness, he touched the other buttons with a more assured hand, and p

d, to give it the appearance of having become stained by wear. With a much-perplexed face, Riderhood looked from it to the sleeper, and fr