Sir Anthony hastened
to set her mind at rest. His intentions were most friendly. He
wished to keep a watch,--a quiet, well-meaning, unsuspected watch,--
over Mrs. Barton's necessities. He desired, in point of fact, if
need were, to relieve them. Mrs. Barton was distantly connected
with relations of his own; and his notion was that without seeming
to help her in obtrusive ways, he would like to make sure Mrs.
Barton got into no serious difficulties. Would the landlady be so
good--a half sovereign glided into that subservient palm--as to let
Sir Anthony know if she ever had reason to suspect a very serious
strain was being put on Mrs. Barton's resources?
The landlady, dropping the modern apology for a courtesy, promised
with effusion under pressure of hard cash, to accede to Sir
Anthony's benevolent wishes. The more so as she'd do anything to
serve dear Mrs. Barton, who was always in everything a perfect
lady, most independent, in fact; one of the kind as wouldn't be
beholden to anybody for a farthing.
Some months passed away before the landlady had cause to report to
Sir Anthony.
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