The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Unclassed, by George Gissing

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Title: The Unclassed

Author: George Gissing

Posting Date: July 12, 2009 [EBook #4305]
Release Date: July, 2003
First Posted: January 3, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNCLASSED ***

Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines.

The Unclassed

by

George Gissing

CONTENTS

I SCHOOL
II MOTHER AND CHILD
III ANTECEDENTS
IV CHRISTMAS IN TWO HOMES
V POSSIBILITIES
VI AN ADVERTISEMENT
VII BETWEEN OLD AND NEW
VIII ACADEMICAL
IX THE COUSINS
X THE WAY OUT
XI BY THE WAYSIDE
XII RENT DAY
XIII A MAN-TRAP
XIV NEAR AND FAR
XV UP THE RIVER
XVI EXAMPLE WITHOUT PRECEPT
XVII THE MISSING YEARS
XVIII THE ENDERBYS
XIX IN THE MEANTIME
XX A SUGGESTION
XXI DIPLOMACY
XXII UNDER-CURRENTS
XXIII THE OPPORTUNITY
XXIV JUSTICE
XXV ART AND MISERY
XXVI STRAYING
XXVII THE WILL TO LIVE
XXVIII SLIMY'S DAY
XXIX FREEDOM
XXX ELM COURT
XXXI NEW PROSPECTS
XXXII A VISION OF SIN
XXXIII A GARDEN-PARTY
XXXIV A LATE REVENGE
XXXV HOUSE-WARMING
XXXVI NO WAY BUT THIS
XXXVII FORBIDDEN
XXXVIII ORDERS OF RELEASE

CHAPTER I

SCHOOL

There was strange disorder in Miss Rutherford's schoolroom, wont to be
the abode of decorum. True, it was the gathering-time after the
dinner-hour, and Miss Rutherford herself was as yet out of sight; but
things seemed to be going forward of a somewhat more serious kind than
a game of romps among the children. There were screams and sobbings,
hysterical cries for help; some of the little girls were crowding round
an object in one corner of the room, others appeared to be getting as
far away from it as possible, hiding their pale faces in their hands,
or looking at one another with terrified eyes. At length one more
thoughtful than the rest sped away out of the room, and stood at the
bottom of the stairs, calling out her teacher's name as loud as she
could. A mom