Vol.1 f.053 recto

[???????] to his lip again, and turning into the prison.

The turnkey followed him with his eyes. “And you another,” he [???] observed to himself, “which
makes three [??? you ???? of] on you. And your wife another, I’ll [??t/f??] lay a crown. Which makes four [??????]on you.
And another coming, I’ll lay [?another?] half-a- crown. Which’ll make five on you. And I’ll [??] go another seven and sixpence to name which is the helplessest, [?often?
[????] the unborn baby or you!”

He [followed to effect as ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? in all ???? ??? particulars?.] was right in all [??????] his [???? is ???? of] particulars. She came next day
with a little boy of three years old, and a little girl of two, and he stood entirely corroborated. [? ??? fact he?????]

“Got a room [??int you?] now; haven’t you?” the turnkey asked the debtor after a week or two.

“Yes, I have got a [????]very good room.”

“[some] Any little [??????] sticks a coming [???] [for???]to furnish it[??????s] [????????]?” said the turnkey.

“I have? expect a [??????? and a] few [????? things coming ???? ??] necessary [???? ?????] articles of furniture to [???? ????? be delivered by the carrier, this afternoon.”

“Missis and [?? ??? a?] little ‘uns a coming to keep you company?” [??????] asked the turnkey.

“I [????? ??]Why, [?????] yes, we think it better that we should [be together?] not be scattered, even [????] for a[????????] [????????] few weeks.”

“Even for the ?i???? ??? ?? ???? a few weeks, of course,” [??????] replied the turnkey. And he followed him again with his eyes, and [????ed ??? ???? ?????]nodded his [????] head seven times when he was gone.

The[ese?] affairs of this debtor were [complicated ???????] perplexed by [???? ?????] a partnership, of which he knew no more than that he had invested money in it; by legal matters of assignment and settlement, [and??]conveyance here
and [???????]conveyance there, suspicion of unlawful preference of creditors in this direction, and of
[?????? ????? ?? ???????] mysterious [his affect ?????] spiriting away of property in that; and as nobody on the face of the earth [????]
could be more incapable of [ex?????]explaining any [?????]single item in the heap of confusion
than the debtor himself, nothing comprehensible could be made of [his off???? ?? the his case. [????????]
[??? ???? ???? ????? ????] To [????] question him [?????? ?????? ?????? ????? in ????? ?????] detail, and endeavour to reconcile his answers; to [ask him who ????????] closet him [???? ????????]
[?????]with [???? of this ??????] accountants and [??] sharp practitioners, learned in the wiles of insolvency and
bankruptcy; was [?????? ???? ???????] [?? ?????] only to put it the case out at compound interest of and incomprehensibility.
[????? ??????? ????? ??? sh?? ???????? ????] The irresolute fingers [fluttered??] fluttered more and more [?????????]ineffectually about the trembling lip [?????] on
every such occasion, and the sharpest practitioners [????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ?????] [?????]gave [????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????]him up as a
hopeless job.

“Out?” said the turnkey, “he’ll never get out, [??????] unless his creditors take him by the shoulders
and shove him out.”

He had been there five or six months, when he came running to this turnkey one forenoon
to tell him, breathless and pale, that his wife was [???] ill.

“[??]As anybody might a known she would be,” said the turnkey.

“We intended,” he returned, “that she should go [in]to [the] a country lodging only to-morrow.
What am I to do! Oh, good heaven, what am I to do!” [????? ???? ? faith?]

“[????]Don’t waste [you]your time in clasping [?? ?????????? ??? ???? ???????]your hands [?? ?????] and biting your fingers,” responded the
practical turnkey, taking him by the [???????]elbow, “but come along [???????] with me.”

The turnkey conducted him—trembling from head to foot
, and constantly crying [?????] under his breath, What was he to do! while his irresolute fingers [???ded] bedabbled
the tears upon his face—up [a common] one of the common staircases in the prison to a [????] door
on the garret story. [?? ???? ??????] [??????]Upon which door the turnkey knocked with the handle of his key. [? ???? ????]

no! “Come in!” [said] cried a [?] voice inside.
[LD Proofs Vol.1 f.060]
no! [????]The turnkey, opening the door, disclosed in a wretched, ill-smelling [???? ????? oo??] little room, two [????? faced] [d????????] hoarse, puffy, red-faced
personages seated at a rickety table, playing at[one ?????] all-fours, smoking pipes, and drinking brandy.