And now she had found him she knew these things could never be--that there was not one feeling of sympathy possible between her and that broken-down, dissipated-looking man of the world.
The dismal evening came to an end at last, and Marian bade her father good-night, and went upstairs to the little room where the traces of his boyhood had interested her so keenly when first she looked upon them.
Mr.Nowell promised to come to Queen Anne's Court at a quarter past six next morning, to escort his daughter to the station, an act of parental solicitude she had not expected from him.

He took his departure immediately afterwards, being let out of the shop-door by Luke Tulliver, who was in a very cantankerous humour, and took no pains to disguise the state of his feelings.

The lawyer Mr.Medler had pried into everything, the shopman told Percival Nowell; had declared himself empowered to do this, as the legal adviser of the deceased; and had seemed as suspicious as if he, Luke Tulliver, meant to rob his dead master.

Mr.Tulliver's sensitive nature had been outraged by such a line of conduct.
"And what has he done with the books ?" Mr.Nowell asked.
"They're all in the desk yonder, and that fellow Medler has taken away the keys." "Sharp practice," said Mr.Nowell; "but to a man with your purity of intention it can't matter what precautions are taken to insure the safety of the property." "Of course it don't matter," the other answered peevishly; "but I like to be treated as a gentleman." "Humph! And you expect to retain your place here, I suppose, if the business is carried on ?" "It's too good a business to be let drop," replied Mr.Tulliver; "but I shouldn't think that young lady upstairs would be much of a hand at trade.

I wouldn't mind offering a fair price for the business,--I've got a tidy little bit of money put away, though my salary has been small enough, goodness knows; but I've lived with the old gentleman, and never wasted a penny upon pleasure; none of your music-halls, or dancing-saloons, or anything of that kind, for me,--or I wouldn't mind paying an annual sum out of the profits of the trade for a reasonable term.