young man, you will either instantly beg my pardon for what you have
said, or you will leave Meeson's for good and all."

"I won't beg your pardon for speaking the truth," said Eustace, hotly:
"the fact is that here you never hear the truth; all these poor devils
creep and crawl about you, and daren't call their souls their own. I
shall be devilish glad to get out of this place, I can tell you. All this
chickery and pokery makes me sick. The place stinks and reeks of sharp
practice and money-making--money-making by fair means or foul."

The elder man had, up till now, at all events to outward appearance, kept
his temper; but this last flower of vigorous English was altogether too
much for one whom the possession of so much money had for many years
shielded from hearing unpleasant truths put roughly. The man's face grew
like a devil's, his thick eyebrows contracted themselves, and his pale
lips quivered with fury. For a few seconds he could not speak, so great
was his emotion. When, at length, he did, his voice was as thick and
laden with rage as a dense mist is with rain.

"You impudent young rascal!" he began, "you ungrateful foundling! Do you
suppose that when my brother left you to starve--which was all that you
were fit for--I picked you out of the gutter for this: that you should
have the insolence to come and tell me how to conduct my business? Now,
young man, I'll just tell you what it is. You can be off and conduct a
business of your own on whatever principles you choose. Get out of
Meeson's, Sir; and never dare to show your nose here again, or I'll give
the porters orders to hustle you off the premises! And, now, that isn't
all. I've done with you, never you look to me for another sixpence! I'm
not going to support you any longer, I can tell you. And, what's more, do
you know what I'm going to do just, now? I'm going off to old