He was even conscious that his voice was weakening, when, having
entered the eating-house and dropped into a seat in one of the little
boxes into which the place was divided, he asked the waitress for the food
and drink which he was now positively aching for. And he had eaten a
plateful of fish and two boiled eggs and several thick slices of bread and
butter, and drunk the entire contents of a pot of tea before he even
lifted his eyes to look round him. But by that time he was conscious of
satisfaction, and he sat up and inspected the place to which he had
hurried so eagerly. And in the same moment he once more saw Melky.
Melky had evidently just entered the little eating-house. Evidently, too,
he was in no hurry for food or drink. He had paused, just within the
entrance, at a desk which stood there, whereat sat Mrs. Goldmark, the
proprietress, a plump, pretty young woman, whose dark, flashing eyes
turned alternately from watching her waitresses to smiling on her
customers as they came to the desk to pay their bills. Melky, his smart
billy-cock hat cocked to one side, his sporting-looking overcoat adorned
with a flower, was evidently paying compliments to Mrs.
Pages:
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28