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The debilitated old house in the city, wrapped in itsheavily on the crutches that had partaken of its decay and

worn out with it, never knew a healthy or a cheerful interval, let what

would betide If the sun ever touched it, it was but with a ray, and

that was gone in half an hour; if the ht ever fell upon it, it

was only to put a few patches on its doleful cloak, and make it look

more wretched

The stars, to be sure, coldly watched it when the nights

and the sh; and all bad weather stood by it with

a rare fidelity You should alike find rain, hail, frost, and thaw

lingering in that dismal enclosure when they had vanished from other

places; and as to snow, you should see it there for weeks, long after

it had changed frorimy life

The place had no other adherents As to street noises, the ruateway in going past, and

rushed out again:Mistress Affery feel as if she

were deaf, and recovered the sense of hearing by instantaneous flashes

So histling, singing, talking, laughing, and all pleasant huap in a ht of fire and candle in Mrs Clennae that ever broke the dead

narros, the fire shone sullenly all day, and sullenly all night

On rare occasions it flashed up passionately, as she did; but for the