Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) By: F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson (1830-1901)
First Page: MATTIE: A STRAY. BY F. W. ROBINSON THE AUTHOR OF "HIGH CHURCH," "NO CHURCH," "OWEN: A WAIF," &c., &c. "By bestowing blessings upon others, we entail them on ourselves." HORACE SMITH. IN THREE VOLUMES VOL. I. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 18, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1864. The right of Translation is reserved. LONDON: PRINTED BY MACDONALD AND TUGWELL, BLENHEIM HOUSE, BLENHEIM STREET, OXFORD STREET. INSCRIBED TO ALFRED EAMES, ESQ., ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOL, NEW CROSS, BY HIS OLD AND ATTACHED FRIEND THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. BOOK I. FIGURES IN OUTLINE. I. LIFE IN GREAT SUFFOLK STREET II. MATTIE III. LODGERS IV. MR. HINCHFORD'S EXPERIMENT V. SET UP IN BUSINESS VI. THE END OF THE PROLOGUE BOOK II. THE NEW ESTATE. I. HOME FOR GOOD II. A GIRL'S ROMANCE III. OUR CHARACTERS IV. A NEW ADMIRER V. PERSEVERANCE VI. "IN THE FULNESS OF THE HEART," ETC. VII. CONFIDENCE VIII. SIDNEY STATES HIS INTENTIONS BOOK III. UNDER SUSPICION. I. AN OLD FRIEND II. STRANGE VISITORS TO GREAT SUFFOLK STREET III. SIDNEY'S SUGGESTION IV. PERPLEXITY V. MR. WESDEN TURNS ECCENTRIC VI. A BURST OF CONFIDENCE VII. THE PLAN FRUSTRATED VIII. A SUDDEN JOURNEY MATTIE: A STRAY. BOOK I. FIGURES IN OUTLINE. CHAPTER I. LIFE IN GREAT SUFFOLK STREET. It was not an evening party of the first water, or given by people of first rate position in society, or held in a quarter whither the fashionable classes most do congregate. It was a small party ostensibly a juvenile party held on the first floor of a stationer's shop in Great Suffolk Street, Southwark. Not even a first rate stationers', had the shutters been down and the fog less dense to allow us to inspect Mr. Wesden's wares; but an emporium, which did business in no end of things cigars, tobacco pipes, children's toys, glass beads by the skein or ounce, fancy work, cottons and tapes. These, the off shoots from the stationery business, the news vending, the circulating of novels in four, five, and six volumes at one penny per volume, if not detained more than three days; a stationery business which report said had not turned out badly for old Wesden, thanks to old Wesden's patience, industry and care, say we thanks to his screwing and his close fistedness that would not have trusted his own mother, had she lived, said the good people for there are good people everywhere in Great Suffolk Street. Certainly, there were but small signs of "close fistedness" about the premises on that particular evening; the shop had been closed at an earlier hour than business men would have considered suitable. They were wasting the gas in Mr. Wesden's drawing room; feasting and revelry held dominion there. There had been three separate knocks given at the door from three separate Ganymedes No. 1, with oranges; No. 2, with tarts from the pastry cook; No. 3, with beer, which last was left in a tin can of colossal proportions, supper not being ready, and beer being liable to flatness in jugs especially the beer from the Crown. We watch all this from the outside, in the thick fog which made things unpleasant in Great Suffolk Street. There is more life, and life that appertains to this chapter of our history, outside here than in that first floor front, where the sons and daughters of Mr. Wesden's neighbours are playing at forfeits, romping, jumping, and laughing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. They are not thinking of the fog, the up stairs folk shut away from the rawness of that January night; it would have troubled Mr. Wesden had his shop been open, and led him to maintain a stricter watch over the goods, and upon those customers whose faces might be strange to him; but he had forgotten the weather at that juncture, and sat in the corner of the drawing room, smoking his pipe, and keeping his daughter a bright faced, golden haired girl of twelve within his range of vision... Continue reading book >>

Mattie:—A Stray (Vol 1 of 3) By: F. W. (Frederick William) Robinson (1830-1901)

First Page:

MATTIE: A STRAY.

BY F. W. ROBINSON

THE AUTHOR OF "HIGH CHURCH," "NO CHURCH," "OWEN: A WAIF," &c., &c.

"By bestowing blessings upon others, we entail them on ourselves." HORACE SMITH.

IN THREE VOLUMES

VOL. I.

LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 18, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1864.

The right of Translation is reserved.

LONDON: PRINTED BY MACDONALD AND TUGWELL, BLENHEIM HOUSE, BLENHEIM STREET, OXFORD STREET.

INSCRIBED TO ALFRED EAMES, ESQ., ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOL, NEW CROSS, BY HIS OLD AND ATTACHED FRIEND THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

BOOK I. FIGURES IN OUTLINE.

I. LIFE IN GREAT SUFFOLK STREET

II. MATTIE

III. LODGERS

IV. MR. HINCHFORD'S EXPERIMENT

V. SET UP IN BUSINESS

VI. THE END OF THE PROLOGUE

BOOK II. THE NEW ESTATE.

I. HOME FOR GOOD

II. A GIRL'S ROMANCE

III. OUR CHARACTERS

IV. A NEW ADMIRER

V. PERSEVERANCE

VI. "IN THE FULNESS OF THE HEART," ETC.

VII. CONFIDENCE

VIII. SIDNEY STATES HIS INTENTIONS

BOOK III. UNDER SUSPICION.

I. AN OLD FRIEND

II. STRANGE VISITORS TO GREAT SUFFOLK STREET

III. SIDNEY'S SUGGESTION

IV. PERPLEXITY

V. MR. WESDEN TURNS ECCENTRIC

VI. A BURST OF CONFIDENCE

VII. THE PLAN FRUSTRATED

VIII. A SUDDEN JOURNEY

MATTIE: A STRAY.

BOOK I.

FIGURES IN OUTLINE.

CHAPTER I.

LIFE IN GREAT SUFFOLK STREET.

It was not an evening party of the first water, or given by people of first rate position in society, or held in a quarter whither the fashionable classes most do congregate. It was a small party ostensibly a juvenile party held on the first floor of a stationer's shop in Great Suffolk Street, Southwark.

Not even a first rate stationers', had the shutters been down and the fog less dense to allow us to inspect Mr. Wesden's wares; but an emporium, which did business in no end of things cigars, tobacco pipes, children's toys, glass beads by the skein or ounce, fancy work, cottons and tapes. These, the off shoots from the stationery business, the news vending, the circulating of novels in four, five, and six volumes at one penny per volume, if not detained more than three days; a stationery business which report said had not turned out badly for old Wesden, thanks to old Wesden's patience, industry and care, say we thanks to his screwing and his close fistedness that would not have trusted his own mother, had she lived, said the good people for there are good people everywhere in Great Suffolk Street. Certainly, there were but small signs of "close fistedness" about the premises on that particular evening; the shop had been closed at an earlier hour than business men would have considered suitable. They were wasting the gas in Mr. Wesden's drawing room; feasting and revelry held dominion there. There had been three separate knocks given at the door from three separate Ganymedes No. 1, with oranges; No. 2, with tarts from the pastry cook; No. 3, with beer, which last was left in a tin can of colossal proportions, supper not being ready, and beer being liable to flatness in jugs especially the beer from the Crown.

We watch all this from the outside, in the thick fog which made things unpleasant in Great Suffolk Street. There is more life, and life that appertains to this chapter of our history, outside here than in that first floor front, where the sons and daughters of Mr. Wesden's neighbours are playing at forfeits, romping, jumping, and laughing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. They are not thinking of the fog, the up stairs folk shut away from the rawness of that January night; it would have troubled Mr. Wesden had his shop been open, and led him to maintain a stricter watch over the goods, and upon those customers whose faces might be strange to him; but he had forgotten the weather at that juncture, and sat in the corner of the drawing room, smoking his pipe, and keeping his daughter a bright faced, golden haired girl of twelve within his range of vision... Continue reading book >>

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