Now the gardens need trimming, and I'm very fond of flowers; do you
suppose you could make the place look decent in - say, a month ?"
"Sir," he said in a strange, broken voice, "you ain't jokin' with
me, are you?"
"I could pay you a pound a week; what do you say?"
He tried to speak, but his lips quivered, and he turned his back
upon us very suddenly. I tore a page from my pocket-book and
scrawled a hasty note to my care-taker.
"Here is the address," I said, tapping him on the shoulder. "You
will find no difficulty. I will write again to-night. You must
of course have money to get there and may need to buy a few
necessaries besides; here is your first week's wages in advance,"
and I thrust a sovereign into his hand. He stared down at it with
blinking eyes, shuffling awkwardly with his feet, and at that
moment his face seemed very worn, and lined, and his hair very
grey, yet I had a feeling that I should not regret my quixotic
action in the end.
"Sir," he faltered, "sir, do ye mean - ?" and stopped.
"I mean that to-night 'the bye Jarge' has a chance to make a new
beginning, a chance to become the man his father always thought
he would be.
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