ot. We did not know then the interview which he
had had with Mr. Smithers, nor did Grimes think proper to acquaint us
with the particulars of it; but though I did acquaint Mrs. H. with the
fact that her favourite preacher had been tried for forgery, _she_
replied that she considered the story an atrocious calumny; and _he_
answered by saying that Mary and I were in lamentable darkness, and that
we should infallibly find the way to a certain bottomless pit, of which
he seemed to know a great deal. Under the reverend gentleman's guidance
and advice, she, after a time, separated from St. Pancras
altogether--"_sat under him_," as the phrase is, regularly thrice a
week--began to labour in the conversion of the poor of Bloomsbury and St.
Giles's, and made a deal of baby-linen for distribution among those
benighted people. She did not make any, however, for Mrs. Sam Titmarsh,
who now showed signs that such would be speedily necessary, but let Mary
(and my mother and sisters in Somersetshire) provide what was requisite
for the coming event. I am not, indeed, sure that she did not say it was
wrong on our parts to make any such provision, and that we ought to let
the morrow provide for itself. At any rate, the Reverend Grimes Wapshot
drank a deal of brandy-and-water at our house, and dined there even
oftener than poor Gus used to do.

But I had little leisure to attend to him and his doings; for I must
confess at this time I was growing very embarrassed in my circumstances,
and was much harassed both as a private and public character.

As regards the former, Mrs. Hoggarty had given me 50_l_.; but out of that
50_l_. I had to pay a journey post from Somersetshire, all the carriage
of her goods from the country, the painting, papering, and carpeting of
my house, the brandy and strong liquors drunk by the Reverend Grimes and
his friends (for the reverend gent said that Rosolio did not agree with
him); and finally, a thousand small bills and expenses incident to all
housekeepers in the town of London.

Add to this, I received just at the time when I was most in want of cash,
Madame Mantalini's bill, Messrs. Howell and James's ditto, the account
of Baron Von Stiltz, and the bill of Mr. Polonius for the setting of the
diamond pin. All these bills arrived in a week, as they have a knack of
doing; and fancy my astonishment in presenting them to Mrs. Hoggarty,
when she said, "Well, my dear, you are in the receipt of a very fine
in