After a few days I became used to the novelty and did my best to
discharge my duties well.
Hundreds of young men in London lead lives similar to mine, with very
little variety; the only way in which I differed from them was that I
had my sister Clare to provide for. Alas! how soon I found out what a
small sum eighty pounds a year was! When we had paid the rent of our
three rooms, set aside a small sum for clothes and a small sum for food,
there was nothing left. Clare, whose appetite was dainty and delicate,
suffered greatly. I could not manage to provide even a bunch of grapes
for her; the trifling coppers I spent in flowers, that cheered her as
nothing else ever did, were sorely missed.
How I longed sometimes to take home a ripe peach, a bottle of wine, an
amusing book! But every penny was rigorously needed; there was not one
to spare. How I pitied her for the long hours she spent alone in those
solitary lodgings! A bright inspiration came to me one day; I thought
how glad I should be if I could get some work to do at night, if it were
but possible to earn a few shillings. I advertised again, and after some
time succeeded in getting copying to do, for which I was not overwell
paid.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25