Book The First: Poverty Chapter 25 Conspirators and Others

The private residence of Mr Pancks was in Pentonville, where he lodged
on the second-floor of a professional gentleman in an extremely small
way, who had an inner-door within the street door, poised on a spring
and starting open with a click like a trap; and who wrote up in the
fan-light,

RUGG, GENERAL AGENT, ACCOUNTANT, DEBTS RECOVERED.

This scroll, majestic in its severe simplicity, illuminated a little
slip of front garden abutting on the thirsty high-road, where a few
of the dustiest of leaves hung their dismal heads and led a life of
choking.

A professor of writing occupied the first-floor, and enlivened
the garden railings with glass-cases containing choice examples of what
his pupils had been before six lessons and while the whole of his young
family shook the table, and what they had become after six lessons
when the young family was under restraint. The tenancy of Mr Pancks was
limited to one airy bedroom; he covenanting and agreeing with Mr Rugg
his landlord, that in consideration of a certain scale of payments
accurately defined, and on certain verbal notice duly given, he should
be at liberty to elect to share the Sunday breakfast, dinner, tea, or
supper, or each or any or all of those repasts or meals of Mr and Miss
Rugg (his daughter) in the back-parlour.

Miss Rugg was a lady of a little property which she had acquired,
together with much distinction in the neighbourhood, by having her
heart severely lacerated and her feelings mangled by a middle-aged baker
resident in the vicinity, against whom she had, by the agency of Mr
Rugg, found it necessary to proceed at law to recover damages for a
breach of promise of marriage.