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566 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
generous hearts often experience, and made his way from Liverpool
to London ; and when in London, directed his steps to the house
of the Little Sister, of which he expected to find Philip still an
inmate. Although Hunt had been once kicked out of the premises,
he felt little shame now about re-entering them. He had that in
his pocket which would ensure him respectful behaviour from Philip.
What were the circumstances under which that forged bill was
obtained ? Was it a speculation between Hunt and Philip's father ?
Did Hunt suggest that, to screen the elder Firmin from disgrace
and ruin, Philip would assuredly take the bill up ? That a forged
signature was, in fact, a better document than a genuine acceptance ?
We shall never know the truth regarding this transaction now.
We have but the statements of the two parties concerned ; and as
both of them, I grieve to say, are entirely unworthy of credit, we
must remain in ignorance regarding this matter. Perhaps Hunt
forged Philip's acceptance : perhaps his unhappy father wrote
it: perhaps the Doctor's story that the paper was extorted
from him was true, perhaps false. What matters ? Both the men
have passed away from amongst us, and will write and speak no
more lies.
Caroline was absent from home, when Hunt paid his first visit
after his return from America. Her servant described the man,
and his appearance. Mrs. Brandon felt sure that Hunt was her
visitor, and foreboded no good to Philip from the parson's arrival.
In former days we have seen how the Little Sister had found favour
in the eyes of this man. The besotted creature, shunned of men,
stained with crime, drink, debt, had still no little vanity in his
composition, and gave himself airs in the tavern parlours which he
frequented. Because he had been at the University thirty years
ago, his idea was that he was superior to ordinary men who had
not had the benefit of an education at Oxford or Cambridge ; and
that the "snobs," as he called them, respected him. He would
assume grandiose airs in talking to a tradesman ever so wealthy ;
speak to such a man by his surname ; and deem that he honoured
him by his patronage and conversation. The Little Sister's grammar,
I have told you, was not good ; her poor little h's were sadly irregular.
A letter was a painful task to her. She knew how ill she
performed it, and that she was for ever making blunders.
She would invent a thousand funny little pleas and excuses for
her faults of writing. With all the blunders of spelling, her little
letters had a pathos which somehow brought tears into the eyes.
The Rev. Mr. Hunt believed himself to be this woman's superior.
He thought his University education gave him a claim upon her
respect, and draped himself and swaggered before her and others in