to the bailiff to take the cottage and osier land, which he now rented;
that he represented himself as having known an old basketmaker who had
dwelt there many years ago, and as having learned the basket craft of
that long deceased operative. As he offered a higher rent than the
bailiff could elsewhere obtain, and as the bailiff was desirous to get
credit with Mr. Carr Vipont for improving the property, by reviving
thereon an art which had fallen into desuetude, the bargain was struck,
provided the candidate, being a stranger to the place, could furnish the
bailiff with any satisfactory reference. Waife had gone away, saying he
should shortly return with the requisite testimonial. In fact, poor man,
as we know, he was then counting on a good word from Mr. Hartopp. He had
not, however, returned for some months. The cottage, having been
meanwhile wanted for the temporary occupation of an under-gamekeeper,
while his own was under repair, fortunately remained unlet. Waife, on
returning, accompanied by his little girl, had referred the bailiff to a
respectable house-agent and collector of street rents in Bloomsbury, who
wrote word that a lady, then abroad, had authorized him, as the agent
employed in the management of a house property from which much of her
income was derived, not only to state that Waife was a very intelligent
man, likely to do well whatever he undertook, but also to guarantee, if
required, the punctual payment of the rent for any holding of which he
became the occupier. On this the agreement was concluded, the
basketmaker installed. In the immediate neighbourhood there was no
custom for basket-work, but Waife's performances were so neat, and some
so elegant and fanciful, that he had no difficulty in contracting with a
large tradesman (not at Humberston, but a more distant and yet more
thriving town about twenty miles off) for as much of such work as he
could supply. Each week the carrier took his goods and brought back the
payments; the profits amply sufficed for Waife's and Sophy's daily bread,
with even more than the surplus set aside for the rent. For the rest,