The pony appeared to be touched by this appeal to his feelings, for he trotted on directly, though in a sulky manner, and stopped no more until he came to a door whereon was a brass plate with the words 'Witherden--Notary.' Here the old gentleman got out and helped out the old lady, and then took from under the seat a nosegay resembling in shape and dimensions a full-sized warming-pan with the handle cut short off.This, the old lady carried into the house with a staid and stately air, and the old gentleman (who had a club-foot) followed close upon her.
They went, as it was easy to tell from the sound of their voices, into the front parlour, which seemed to be a kind of office.The day being very warm and the street a quiet one, the windows were wide open; and it was easy to hear through the Venetian blinds all that passed inside.
At first there was a great shaking of hands and shuffling of feet, succeeded by the presentation of the nosegay; for a voice, supposed by the listener to be that of Mr Witherden the Notary, was heard to exclaim a great many times, 'oh, delicious!' 'oh, fragrant, indeed!' and a nose, also supposed to be the property of that gentleman, was heard to inhale the scent with a snuffle of exceeding pleasure.
'I brought it in honour of the occasion, Sir,' said the old lady.
'Ah! an occasion indeed, ma'am, an occasion which does honour to me, ma'am, honour to me,' rejoined Mr Witherden, the notary.'Ihave had many a gentleman articled to me, ma'am, many a one.Some of them are now rolling in riches, unmindful of their old companion and friend, ma'am, others are in the habit of calling upon me to this day and saying, "Mr Witherden, some of the pleasantest hours I ever spent in my life were spent in this office--were spent, Sir, upon this very stool"; but there was never one among the number, ma'am, attached as I have been to many of them, of whom Iaugured such bright things as I do of your only son.'
'Oh dear!' said the old lady.'How happy you do make us when you tell us that, to be sure!'
'I tell you, ma'am,' said Mr Witherden, 'what I think as an honest man, which, as the poet observes, is the noblest work of God.Iagree with the poet in every particular, ma'am.The mountainous Alps on the one hand, or a humming-bird on the other, is nothing, in point of workmanship, to an honest man--or woman--or woman.'
'Anything that Mr Witherden can say of me,' observed a small quiet voice, 'I can say, with interest, of him, I am sure.'
'It's a happy circumstance, a truly happy circumstance,' said the Notary, 'to happen too upon his eight-and-twentieth birthday, and I hope I know how to appreciate it.I trust, Mr Garland, my dear Sir, that we may mutually congratulate each other upon this auspicious occasion.'
To this the old gentleman replied that he felt assured they might.
There appeared to be another shaking of hands in consequence, and when it was over, the old gentleman said that, though he said it who should not, he believed no son had ever been a greater comfort to his parents than Abel Garland had been to his.
'Marrying as his mother and I did, late in life, sir, after waiting for a great many years, until we were well enough off--coming together when we were no longer young, and then being blessed with one child who has always been dutiful and affectionate--why, it's a source of great happiness to us both, sir.'
'Of course it is, I have no doubt of it,' returned the Notary in a sympathising voice.'It's the contemplation of this sort of thing, that makes me deplore my fate in being a bachelor.There was a young lady once, sir, the daughter of an outfitting warehouse of the first respectability--but that's a weakness.Chuckster, bring in Mr Abel's articles.'
'You see, Mr Witherden,' said the old lady, 'that Abel has not been brought up like the run of young men.He has always had a pleasure in our society, and always been with us.Abel has never been absent from us, for a day; has he, my dear?'