Barnaby Rudge Manuscript: Chapters 1 to 7

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not be hard upon hers. We have been man and wife too long for that.' He dozed again -- not the less pleasantly, perhaps, for his hearty temper. While his eyes were closed, the door leading to the upper stairs was partially opened; and a head appeared, which, at sight of him, hastily drew back again. "I wish,' murmured Gabriel, waking at the noise, and looking round the room, "I wish somebody would many Miggs. But that's impossible! I wonder whether there's any madman alive, who would marry Miggs! " This was such a vast specularion that he fell into a doze again, and slept until the fire was quite burnt out. At last he roused himself; and having double-locked the street-door according to custom, and put the key in his pocket, went off to bed. He had not left the room in darkness many minutes when the head again appeared, and Sim Tapperrit entered, bearing in his hand a little lamp. "What the devil business has he to stop up so late!' muttered Sim, passing into the workshop, and setting it down upon the forge. " Here's half the night gone already. There's only one good that has ever come to me, out of this cursed old rusty mechanical trade, and that's this piece of ironmongery, upon my soul!' As he spoke, he drew from the right hand, or rather right leg pocket of his sma11s, a clumsy large-sized key, which he inserted cautiously in the lock his master had secured, and softly opened the door. That done, he replaced his piece of secret workmanship in his pocket; and leaving the lamp burning, and closing the door carefully and without noise, stole out into the street -- as little suspected by the locksmith in his sound deep sleep, as by Barnaby himself in his phantom-haunted dreams.

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