It was Augusta's agreement with Meeson and Co. for
"Jemima's Vow," the agreement binding her to them for five years which
had been the cause of all her troubles, and, as she firmly believed, of
her little sister's death.
"There, my dear," said Eustace to his wife, "there is a present for
you. Take it!"
Augusta took the document, and having looked to see what it was, shivered
as she did so. It brought the whole thing back so painfully to her mind.
"What shall I do with it," she asked; "tear it up?"
"Yes," he answered. "No, stop a bit," and taking it from her he wrote
"cancelled" in big letters across it, signed and dated it.
"There," he said, "now send it to be framed and glazed, and it shall be
hung here in the office, to show how they used to do business at
Meeson's."
No. 1 snorted, and looked at Eustace aghast. What would the young man be
after next?
"Are the gentlemen assembled in the hall?" asked Eustace of him when the
remaining documents were put away again.
No. 1 said that they were, and accordingly, to the hall they went,
wherein were gathered all the editors, sub-editors, managers,
sub-managers of the various departments, clerks, and other employees, not
forgetting the tame authors, who, a pale and mealy regiment, had been
marched up thither from the Hutches, and the tame artists with flying
hair--and were now being marshalled in lines by No.
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