"He's no good," said Mr Grimstone sharply. "He has only just come."
"Don't talk to me, sir," cried Mr Rowle angrily. "You can't pick out a
decent boy, so I must do it myself. Here, boy, read that out aloud."
I took the piece of paper with trembling hands, doubting my own power to
read the lines of crabbed writing, and feeling that even if I could read
it I should give dire offence to the overseer by so doing; but I could
not help myself, and raising the piece of manuscript written closely on
a sheet of ruled foolscap, I saw that it was just such a legal document
as I had often copied at Mr Blakeford's. In fact, something of the old
feeling of dread that I used to experience when receiving such a paper
from him made a huskiness come in my throat, but clearing my voice, I
began:
"`And the aforesaid deponent also saith that in such a case it would be
necessary for the said lessor, his heirs, executors, administrators, and
assigns, to make over and deliver, whenever and wheresoever the
aforesaid lessee, his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns should
desire him so to do--"
"Stop!" said the little man tightening his lips and taking a pinch of
snuff. "You did not read that exactly as it's written there."
"No, sir," I said, "`executors, administrators, and assigns,' were all
contracted."
"There!" he exclaimed, turning to the overseer triumphantly, "What did I
say? Here's the first boy I meet, fresh from the lye-tub, and he reads
it straight off without a blunder, and better than you could have read
it yourself. Here, boy, read that."
He took a letter from his pocket, written in a terribly puzzling hand,
and placed it before me.