A Deal With the Devil Author:Eden Phillpotts Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. COLD COMFORT. MR. MURDOCH came round and saw my poor grandpapa at once. He was a pompous, kind-hearted man, but proved of little service to us... more », being unpractical, and unable apparently to grasp the horrid facts. Grandpapa felt better, and rather more hopeful when we returned to him ; but I fear that alcohol alone was responsible for his improved spirits. I usually kept the brandy locked up, because the dear old man never would understand that it should only be taken as medicine ; but I forgot to remove it before going for the Vicar, and grandpapa had helped himself. " Here's a rum go!" he said, as Mr. Murdoch arrived, with his face a yard long. " My poor friend, my dear Dolphin, I cannot believe it; I refuse to credit it." " Read that then," said grandfather, kicking the Agreement across the room with his felt slipper. Mr. Murdoch puzzled over it. Presently he dropped the thing and smelt his gloves. " It has an evil odour," he said. Then he sighed and shook his head and seemed more concerned for the parish than for grandpapa. " That such a thing should have happened in Ealing, of all places, is a source of unutterable grief to me," murmured the Vicar. " Smother Ealing! " piped out poor grandpapa. "Think of me! Generalities are no good. Be practical if you can. Is it a ghastly hoax or a hideous fact ? Hasn't anything of the kind ever happened before ? And couldn't something be done to wriggle out of it ? Regard the thing professionally. You 're always talking about fighting the Evil One. Well, here's a chance to do it." " I shall mention the matter in my private devotions," said Mr. Murdoch mildly. " Don't do anything of the sort," snapped back grandpapa. " This affair shan't get about if I can help it—least of all in the next world. If...« less