Identifier: ourmutualfriend00dick (find matches)
Title: Our mutual friend
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 Dickens, Charles, 1837-1896, ed
Subjects: Inheritance and succession Social classes Poor families Deception
Publisher: New York, London, Macmillan
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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think not. Youre not asleep, my Johnny ? No, said Johnny, with a quiet air of pity for himself, andwithout opening his eyes. • Heres the lady, Johnny. And the horse.Johnny could bear the lady, with complete indifference, but notthe horse. Opening his heavy eyes, he slowly broke into a smile onbeholding that splendid phenomenon, and wanted to take it in hisarms. As it was much too big, it was put upon a chair where hecould hold it by the mane and contemplate it. Which he soonforgot to do. But Johnny murmuring something with his eyes closed, and Mrs.Boffin not knowing what, old Betty bent her ear to listen and tookpains to understand. Being asked by her to repeat what he hadsaid, he did so two or three times, and then it came out that hemust have seen more than they supposed when he looked up to seethe horse, for the murmur was, Who is the boofer lady 1 Now,the boofer, or beautiful, lady was Bella; and whereas this noticefrom the poor baby would have touched her of itself, it was ren-
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OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 313 dered more pathetic by the late melting of her heart to her poorlittle father, and their joke about the lovely woman. So Bellasbehaviour was very tender and very natural when she kneeled on thebrick floor to clasp the child, and when the child, with a childsadmiration of what is young and pretty, fondled the boofer lady. Now, my good dear Betty, said Mrs. Bofiin, hoping that shesaw her opportunity, and laying her hand persuasively on her arm; we have come to remove Johnny from this cottage to where hecan be taken better care of. Instantly, and before another word could be spoken, the oldwoman started up with blazing eyes, and rushed at the door withthe sick child. Stand away from me, every one of ye ! she cried out wildly.I see what ye mean now. Let me go my way, all of ye. Idsooner kill the Pretty, and kill myself. Stay, stay! said Eokesmith, soothing her. You dontunderstand. I understand too well. I know too much about it, sir. Iverun from it too many a year.

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