"It's rickety, sir, you'll notice," said he, nodding. "I--I mean
that chair--dev'lish rickety, like everything else 'bout
here--especially myself, eh, Dig? B-but don't be alarmed, it--will
bear you, sir. D-devil of a place to ask--gentleman to sit down in,
--but the Spanswick hasn't been round to clean the place this
week--damn her! S-scarcely blame her, though--never gets
paid--except when Dig remembers it. Don't know what I should do
without D-Dig,--raised twenty pounds yesterday, damme if I know where!
said it was watch--but watch went weeks ago. Couldn't ever pay the
Spanswick. That's the accursed part of it--pay, pay! debt on debt,
and--n-nothing to pay with. All swallowed up by that merciless
bloodsucker--that--"
"Now, Barry!" Mr. Smivvle expostulated, "my dear boy--"
"He's a cursed v-vampire, I tell you!" retorted Barrymaine, his pale
cheeks suddenly flushed, and his dark eyes flashing in swift passion,
--"he's a snake."
"Now, my dear fellow, calm yourself."
"Calm myself. How can I, when everything I have is his, when
everything I g-get belongs to him before--curse him--even before I
get it! I tell you, Dig, he's--he's draining my life away, drop by
drop! He's g-got me down with his foot on my neck--crushing me into
the mud.
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