On the evening after the funeral she was sitting alone with her son Jacob, who was a boy of about seven or eight, when a little wizened, grey-haired man came into the room, who, after respectfully wishing Mrs.
Worse good evening, laid on the table some account-books and papers.

The old man was well known to Mrs.Worse: it was Mr.Peter Samuelsen, commonly known as Pitter Nilken, the manager of the small shop in the back premises.

Worse's property had consisted of an entire building, of which the front looked out towards the sea and the quay where the steamers were moored, and at the back was a little dark lane, where Pitter Nilken had his shop.

Worse never liked anybody to allude to the shop; he considered that he was far too respectable a man of business for anything of the sort.

He used to say that it was mostly for old Samuelsen's sake, that he kept the little shop going; it could have no importance in a concern like his.
[Footnote A: "Boston" is a game of cards, and the "Boston-parti" is a club, the members of which meet and play at each other's houses.] Mrs.Worse had also believed this story; but that afternoon she learnt to think otherwise.