The Cornhill Magazine (Volume 52) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: claimed everything?your money, your jewels, your plate?and turned me out penniless.' The Jew was startled, and looked at Joanna speechlessly. ' You have never been legally divorced ? ' ' No. I don't fling money among lawyers. We are separated for ever practically, though perhaps not legally.' ' Then she could take everything you have?or had, supposing your throat cut ?' ' I suppose so,' was his slowly uttered reply, and he rubbed his legs before the fire, frowning and studying the coals. ' Joanna,' he said, after consideration of some minutes, which she did not interrupt, ' that shall never be. Rather than that I will bequeath everything to you, every stick in the storerooms, and crumb in the larder, and farthing in my chest.' 1 That is your most sensible course,' said Joanna; ' that suits me better than stale advice and flat Ems.' 'I will do it,' said the Jew. ' I will write to Crudge.' ' I will bring the pen and ink at once.' ' Not now?there is time. I'll do it some time.' ' That will not smt me,' said Joanna. ' What has to be done must be done on the spot. Do you not see that your interests are at stake ? You secure me in the shop, ensuring my caring for everything as if it were my own, protect yourself against peculation by me,' she laughed mockingly. ' You tie me to you as a faithful servant for ever. I shall no more grumble. I shall be active, and on the alert to drive hard bargains. I shall be bound to you Monokeratically.' ' What do you mean ? How Monokeratically ? ' ' By one principle, the strongest of all?self-interest.' CHAPTER XV. Wanted, A Housemaid. A Few days after the events related in the foregoing chapters, Lazarus plunged into the kitchen with the newspaper in his hand, in hot excitement. ' Joanna!' he exclaimed, ...