Mr. Jarndyce

“ “It was in the north, sir, as we came down,” observed Richard.
“My dear Rick,” said Mr. Jarndyce, poking the fire, “I’ll take an oath it’s either in the east or going to be. I am always conscious of an uncomfortable sensation now and then when the wind is blowing in the east.” ”

“ Even stronger testimony to the good qualities of Allan Woodcourt is borne by Mr. Jarndyce. Allan, says that gentleman, is “a man whose hopes and aims may sometimes lie (as most men’s sometimes do, I dare say) above the ordinary level, but to whom the ordinary level will be high enough after all, if it should prove to be a way of usefulness and good service leading to no other. ”

“ Jarndyce sat enjoying the image of his friend Boythorn, we observed the favorable omen that there was not the least indication of any change in the wind.
"But it's the inside of the man, the warm heart of the man, the passion of the man, the fresh blood of the man, Rick—and Ada, and little Cobweb, too, for you are all interested in a visitor!—that I speak of," he pursued. "His language is as sounding as his voice. He is always in extremes: perpetually in the superlative degree. In his condemnation he is all ferocity. ”

“ We have been misdirected, Jarndyce, by a most abandoned ruffian, who told us to take the turning to the right instead of to the left. He is the most intolerable scoundrel on the face of the earth. His father must have been a most consummate villain, ever to have had such a [Pg 97] son. ”

“ Yet Mrs. Narnay and the children might get along better without Jim. Janice had made some inquiries and learned that Mrs. Narnay was an industrious woman, working steadily over her washtub, and keeping the children in comparative comfort when Jim was not at home to drink up a good share of her earnings.
"Are you going down to the cove to see Narnay now, Mr. Trimmins?"
Janice asked, as she turned the automobile into the head of High Street.
"Yes, ma'am. That is, if I don't find him at Lem Parraday's."
"Oh, Mr. Trimmins!" exclaimed Janice, earnestly. "Look for him at the house first. ”

“ In more popular phraseology—a genuine case of haunting.
"These are the facts: On the previous Sunday evening but one, Sir Alfred Jarnock's household had attended family service, as usual, in the Chapel. You see, the Rector goes over to officiate twice each Sunday, after concluding his duties at the public Church about three miles away.
"At the end of the service in the Chapel, Sir Alfred Jarnock, his son Mr. George Jarnock, and the Rector had stood for a couple of minutes, talking, whilst old Bellett the butler went 'round, putting out the candles. ”

“ I've found out why so many of you didn't seem to have any use for me to-day. You believed that story about the washouts; and you thought I knew, and was just trying to get you to buy tickets our way, anyhow.
"I didn't know, and maybe I can prove it; but first I want to tell you some things that Mr. Manville left out. He told you what he'd do for you if you go his way; but he forgot to tell you that he gave Mr. Olestrom a free pass for promising to take all the Scandinavian colonists over his line. Now, I don't think that's quite fair to the rest of you ”

“ Our general passenger-agent says it isn't true, and that's all there is of it. He wired me this morning to get out a special edition of the 'Argus' to contradict it, if I wished to, and I'd have done it if there'd been time. More than that, he said he'd have Mr. Manville's general passenger-agent deny it to Mr. Haworth, so you'd know it was all straight and fair, and—"
He was leaning heavily on the back of his chair, and just at this point Aaron Simpson, whose foot was on one of the rounds, did something that made Tom lose his balance. ”

“ If we had gone into the game, relying on this signal code——-"
"We'd have burned you to a crisp on the gridiron," laughed Jarvis. "But what earthly good would it do our school to win a game that we got by clasping hands with a sneak and a traitor? Can any school care to win games in that fashion? But now, I'm off for 'The Blade's office—-if your Mr. Pollock doesn't throw me out."
"He won't," Dick replied, "I'm a member of 'The Blade' staff."
"Don't go back into assembly room with a face betraying as much as yours does," whispered Captain Jarvis, over his shoulder. ”

“ The judge listened sympathetically, and refused to withdraw his praise.
"That makes it all the more creditable—that you should try to set the matter right," he said; "but I'm afraid you have come too late. We had given your father up, and then Mr. Manville came and proposed to treat us so nicely that we have about concluded to go with him."
"Is it a promise?" asked Tom, anxiously.
"Not quite that, though he may so consider it. His offer to give us through colonist-sleepers from Richville is the strong point in his favor. Your father said he couldn't do that." ”

“ Jannaway did," she said, "but he's been dead and gone a matter of two months. There's no one on the island now, except the caretaker, Mr. Bascomb."
"Oh, yes, there is," I retorted. "There's a distinguished gentleman called Mr. John Dryden."
She shook her head at me reprovingly. "Full of your little jokes," she repeated. "Just the same as you always was."
"It's no joke, Mrs. Summers," I persisted. "Mr. Jannaway was my uncle, and he had the good sense to die without making a will. The result is that I scoop the lot—his money and Greensea Island and everything else." ”

“ Narnay," sobbed Janice, "you have more than repaid me—over and over again you have repaid me! Do stay here with your wife and the children. I am going to send Mr. Middler right down. Let's drive on, Nelson."
The teacher started the car. "And to think," he said softly when the Kremlin had climbed the hill and struck smoother going, "that I have been opposed to your doing anything for these Narnays all the time, Janice. Yet because you were kind, I am saved! It—it is wonderful!" ”

“ President Garnet, is it all over, seh? Is it, Mr. Jones?"
"Can't say," replied Jeff-Jack, with his down-drawn smile, and the two pairs went their opposite ways.
As the Judge loped down the hot turnpike after his distant wagon, his son turned for one more gaze on the young hero, his hero henceforth, and felt the blood rush from every vein to his heart and back again as Mr. Ravenel at the last moment looked round and waved him farewell. Later he recalled Major Garnet's offer of his daughter, but:
"I shall never marry," said John to himself. ”

“ Jornicroft. After the letter was posted my spirits sank. What in the world would we do with ponderous old man Jornicroft? But in the course of a few posts my gloom was lightened by a refusal. Mr. Jornicroft had been in the habit for many years of spending Christmas at the King's Hotel, Hastings, and had already made his arrangements.
"Who else is there?" asked Barbara.
"My dear," said I. "This is a modest country house, not an International Palace Hotel. Including Eileen's children and their governess and nurse and Doria's maid, we shall have to find accommodation for fifteen people." ”

“ Darrin, staring off into the black night about them.
"No; not a sign of a struggle," argued Dick, still with his gaze on the ground. "No matter who Mr. Dodge's companions were, he went with them willingly. Gracious, Dave, but we were right in believing the banker to be still alive! Coat and hat at the water's edge were a blind! Mr. Dodge has his own reasons for wanting people to think him dead. He has sloped away. Here's the track. Which way did he and the fellows go?"
"Away from Gridley," declared Darrin, sagely. ”

“ Paul, go to Mr. Donegal and get passes for us,—yes, I'm going, too; two heads are better than one, especially when neither of them happens to be a man's head,—then get your rate-sheets and things out of the office, and meet me at the Union Depot at five-thirty."
Tom went aghast at the immensity of the thing, but he was too near drowning not to catch at straws. At first sight the undertaking seemed little better than hopeless, even if they should reach Richville in time; but Kate's offer to go along and help turned the scale. ”

“ The man was short in stature and in manner. There was an acidity about his voice which made him the reverse of popular, though when he held forth in the cosy parlour of the public-house there were few who failed to listen; for Jarney had travelled. Unlike Isaac Webster, he had not been a stay-at-home all his days, but had seen things and people which were strange for the most part to the old cronies who gathered together of an evening. No one dare dispute Jarney's statements, for to do so was to lay oneself open to a course of scathing, biting sarcasm, in which Jarney excelled. ”

“ Murney, and he walked to the window and looked out, and came back again to where Dr. Girvan sat.
“Don’t take on so,” he said, speaking 309kindly to the old man, and laying a compassionate hand on his shoulder. “If a mistake has been made, better men than any of us have made mistakes before now. I am sure you and Mr. Hanlon have acted in this matter to the very best of your judgment.”
Mr. Hanlon never opened his lips; Kingslough had not appreciated him, and Dr. Girvan, from the first, was his enemy, but he could not remember that now. ”

“ The yearlings, whose duty it was to carry the balks—-"balk-chasers," they were termed unofficially—-were standing idle, though alert. They could not move until Mr. Jordan, of the first class, gave the order.
And Jordan? With one hand hanging at his side, the other resting against the small of his back, he stood gazing absently out over the Hudson. ”

“ Look here!” she said suddenly, and frankly opening her fine eyes upon him. “I'm going to take Lucy there to-morrow, and I'll show you.” Jarman felt his cheeks flush quickly with a pleasure that embarrassed him. “It won't take long,” added Cara, mistaking his momentary hesitation, “and you can leave your telegraph alone. Nobody will be there, so no one will see you and nobody know it.”
He would have gone then, anyway, he knew, yet in his absurd self-consciousness he was glad that her last suggestion had relieved him of a sense of reckless compliance. ”

“ He won't know any better than to tell the truth—first, last, and all the time. Moreover, if—as I suspect—he's down here on his own hook, he'll make capital out of that."
"What if he does?"
"Why, he'll win 'em right from the start—if I know anything about human nature."
Manville was as optimistic as he was unscrupulous, and laughed at the idea of being worsted by a boy.
"You're rattled this morning, Norty," he said complacently. "If you're going to lose any sleep about it, we'll have to get rid of Tom Jarnagan's proxy." ”

“ Jarno affected to be struck, to be in doubt, and finally to be convinced; but, in private with his friend, he made himself so much the merrier at the credulous weakling, who had thus been cured of his evil habits by a bugbear, but who, they admitted, still deserved some praise for expecting dire calamity, or death itself, with such composure.
"The natural result which the present apparition might have had, would possibly have ruffled him!" exclaimed the baroness, with her wonted vivacity; to which, when anxiety was taken from her heart, she had instantly returned. Jarno was richly rewarded ”

“ George Jarnock, who replied to my queries in place of Sir Alfred Jarnock, for the older man was in a nervous and shaken condition as a result of the happening, and his son wished him to avoid dwelling upon the scene as much as possible.
"The Rector's version was clear and vivid, and he had evidently received the astonishment of his life. He pictured to me the whole affair—Bellett, up at the chancel gate, going for the prayer book, and absolutely alone; and then the blow, out of the Void, he described it; and the force prodigious—the old man being driven headlong into the body of the Chapel. ”

“ For a few moments Jervis stood near the entrance looking about the nave, as if in search of someone. Then, suddenly, his eye lighted on the distinguished stranger, and he walked straight over to him and sat down by his side; from which, and from the smile of recognition with which he was greeted, I inferred that the stranger was none other than Dr. Thorndyke himself.
Jervis had apparently not seen, or at least not recognized me, but, as I observed that there was a vacant chair by his side, I determined to renew our acquaintance and secure, if possible, a presentation to his eminent colleague. ”

“ If you couldn't identify the man, a description of Gill, if we could obtain it, would not help us. We must begin at some other point."
"It seems to me," said Jervis, "that we haven't much to go upon at all."
"We haven't much," agreed Thorndyke, "but still we have something. We find that the motive of this attempt was apparently not robbery, nor the diversion of inheritable property, nor personal enmity. It must have been premeditated, but yet it could not have been planned more than a week in advance, for Jardine has only been in this neighborhood for that time, and his coming was unexpected. ”

“ It was some two hours later when I wished my friends adieu under the golden-leaved plane trees of King's Bench Walk.
"I won't ask you to come in now," said Thorndyke, "as we have some consultations this afternoon. But come in and see us soon; don't wait for that copy of the will."
"No," said Jervis. "Drop in in the evening when your work is done; unless, of course, there is more attractive society elsewhere—Oh, you needn't turn that colour, my dear child; we have all been young once; there is even a tradition that Thorndyke was young some time back in the pre-dynastic period." ”