'Mr Haredale,' said Solomon, turning his back upon the strange man,
'left this place when his lady died, feeling it lonely like, and went
up to London, where he stopped some months; but finding that place as
lonely as this--as I suppose and have always heard say--he suddenly
came back again with his little girl to the Warren, bringing with him
besides, that day, only two women servants, and his steward, and a
gardener.'
Mr Daisy stopped to take a whiff at his pipe, which was going out,
and then proceeded--at first in a snuffling tone, occasioned by keen
enjoyment of the tobacco and strong pulling at the pipe, and afterwards
with increasing distinctness:
'--Bringing with him two women servants, and his steward, and a
gardener. The rest stopped behind up in London, and were to follow next
day. It happened that that night, an old gentleman who lived at Chigwell
Row, and had long been poorly, deceased, and an order came to me at half
after twelve o'clock at night to go and toll the passing-bell.'
There was a movement in the little group of listeners, sufficiently
indicative of the strong repugnance any one of them would have felt to
have turned out at such a time upon such an errand.
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