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. 3--..‘ ,
' didn’t.
. “ Him" ” perform that ceremony; :
702
he said to Clennain, -seating himself in the proffered
chair, .”And you are in a new business, Mr. Clennam?
Iwish you well, sir,'I wish you“well 1” heseemed to
-have done benevolent wonders. = - i
‘ “ Mrs. F inching has been tellingfme, sir,” said Arthur,
iafter-‘making his acknowledgments; the-relict‘-of the
late Mr; F meanwhile protesting, with a gesture, against
his use of that respectable name ; I“ that she hopes occa-
sionally to employ the "young needlewoman you recom-
' mended to my mother. For lVlllC1Y'I have been thanking
her.” =- 1 4 r,'r.'.-. “' i
The Patriarch turning his head ina lumbering way
towards Pancks, that ‘assistant put up the fnote-book in
which he had been absorbed, anditookvhim in tow.'j ‘
“ You didn’t recommend her, you know,” said Pancks ;
“how could you? ' You knew nothing about her, you
The name was mentioned to you,‘ and you passed
it on.uThat’s what you did.”‘ ""?=' I v . -- " ‘- 1
“VVe1ll” said Clennamp “As‘she'justiiies any re-
commendation, it ismuchthe saine'tliing.”" ‘-‘ ’ - ’ '
“You at-eglad she -turns out well,"-said Pnncks,
‘ "but it wouldn't have been your-fault if she had turned
out ill. The credits not yourslas it is, and the blame
wouldn't have been yours as, it might have been. i You
gave no guarantee. You knew nothing about her.” ‘
“You are notncquainted, then,” said Arthur, hazard-
ing a random question, “rxvith any ofvher family ‘2 " ‘ I
"Acquainted -with any of ‘her family?” returned
Pancks.-““HoW should you be acquainted‘witli ‘any of
‘ her family? ‘You never7heard of ’em. ' You can't be ac-
quainted with people you-never heard of, can you? You
should tliitikuotl”“ ‘V " "V ‘ M I’
"All this time the Patriarch sat serenely smiling ; ' nod-
ding or shaking hisihead benevolently, as'the’case re-
quired. . y ' ;w'.:.. i:-w;
“ As to being a reference,” said Pancks,v"you know
in a general‘ Way, whatbeing xi reference‘ means.’ 'It’s
all your-eye, t1iat;isl- Look atyyour tenants clownthe
laryd here. . They d all be references for one another,‘ if
you (1 let em. 'lVhat would be tlie-goodof letting ’em‘2
' It’s nosatisfaction to be done by two men instead of one.‘ ‘
0ne’s enough. A,person Who>’ca.n’t‘pay, gets’ anoglmy
person who can’t pay, to uaranteewlint he can pay.
Like a person with two woo en legs, getting another per.
son with two wooden legs, to guarantee that he has two
natural legs. It don’t make either of them able to do a
walking-match. ‘And four woodenlegs are momh-ou.
blesome to you than two,-when you don’t want‘nny ”
Mr. Pancks concluded by blowing on that steam of his
A momentary silence that ensued Was‘ broken by Mr ‘
F's Aunt, ‘who had been sitting upright inia cataleptio
state since her last‘ public remark. ' She now undenveng,
a violent twitch,’ calculated to produce a startling effect
on the nerves of the uninitiated,’ and with the deadliest
anirnosityobserved: ‘=3 ‘ " H ‘v m t .;
‘ “You can’t make a head and brains’ out of a. brass
. knob ‘with nothing in‘ it. (You couldn’t do it when your
Uncle George was living; much less when he's dead is
’vMr.' Pancks was not slow to‘ reply,'with his nsunl
calniness',"' Indeed, ma’aml ‘ Bless my soul 1 pm 5“
prised: to hear it."v -Despite-hisipresenco of mind :1,ow'
everfthe speech of Mr.’ F’s Aunt produced a depressin .
effect onthe little assembly; firstly, because itiwas nah‘
possible‘ toldisguise that’Clennam’s unoiieiiding head
wastlie particular temple of, reason depreciated . and
secondly',.because nobodyfever knew on’these "occasions
whose -Uncle George’ was referred‘ to, or what spectra
presence might be invoked under that appellation “ '
Therefore Flora said, though still not without a ea;-min
boastfiilness‘ aiid triumph’ in ‘her’ legacy, that M,
Aunt. was " very lively to-day,‘ and she th I S
better go." "But,‘Mr. F’s'Aunt proved‘ so lip
take the suggestion in unexpected dudgeon ,1
that she would not go; addingjwith several lnjuriou
expressions,‘tliat if “He”-too evidently Illeanllilor (‘.19 S
nam-wanted to get rid of her,"' let him chuck her out
of winder ; ” and urgently expressing her desire u
ely as to
iid declare
to see
l '. '.
In this dilemma, Mr. Pancks, whose 1-5.
equal to any emergency in the Patrinrchsloghiiflslfareg
on liisrhflt. Slipped out at‘the countinn--liouse dhorpzifd
slipped in again a lI1OII18I1$‘iliCel'lVl1X‘dSDlVll1l‘ an‘unilici;;1
I.
K
4
Ought they had '
CHARLES’ DIOKENiS"- WORKS.
freshness upon him, as if. he had been in the country for
some weeks. “ lVliy bless mylieart, ma’am I’' said Mr.
Pancho, rubbing‘ up his hair in great astonishment, “is
that you?-i How do you do, ma'am? You are looking
charming to-day l I am delighted to see you.: Favour
ine “'llll'j'0l1I’ arm, ma’am; we'll have a little walk to-
gethcr, you and me, if you'll honour mo with your com-
pany.’-’ I And so escorted Mr. F ’s Aunt down the private
staircaseof the couiiting-liousc, with rent gallantry and
success.‘ The patriarchal Mr. Cashy hen rose with the
air of having clone it himself, and Iblnndly followed 1
leaving his daughter, as she followed in her turn, to re-
mark to her fonner lover in a distracted whisper (which
she very much enjoyed), that they had drained the cup of
life to the dregs ; and further to hint mysteriously that
the late Mr.'F was at the bottom of it. 1 ' w ‘ '
-‘ Alone again, Clennain became a prey to his 'old doubts
in I‘(‘feX‘0llC0't0'lllS mother and Little I)orrit,"and revolved
the old thouglitsand suspicions.‘ i Tliey were all in his
mind, blending tlieniselves witlrtho duties lie was me-
chanically discharging," when ‘or shadow ‘on ‘his papers
caused hiin'to look up for the cause.‘ .'l‘lie cause was Mr.
Pancks.‘ llfitli his hat thrown back upon liiscizrs as If
his wiry prongs of hairliad "dai-ted’ up like ispriiigs and
cast it off, with his jet black beads of eyes inquisitively
sliarp,-with tliefiiigersof his right hand in'liis month
that he‘ might bite the nails, and witli'tlic'fingers of his
left hand in reserve in his pocket for another course, 3”-
Pancks cast his shadow through the glass upon the books
andpapersy ‘,1: - :., :. - :, .74 .. .
" Mr.‘Pancks asked,.witl:'n little inquiring twist of his
head, if he might come in ngain‘? Clennaiu replied M111
a. nod of his head in the atlirinative. ' ‘ Mr. Pancks worked
liislway in,?came'alongsido the desk, made himself fast
7"<'
’ by leaning his arms upon it, and started conversation with
a put? and a snort.” . - . -
-“ Mr.’ F's Aunt is appeased, Ihope?” said Clonnam.
‘-"‘Al1right,sii',”said Pancks. . - --! : ' i
“'1 am sonnfortuniito as ‘to have awakened a strollg
animosity in the breast of that ’lady,". said‘ Clennam.
“Do)‘0uknowwl1y?”: 3-.-, .' it ‘:‘ -'1"
‘vf‘ Does she know Why?” said Pnncks. V r ‘Y ‘ ‘
“1 Suppose not.”‘ ' er ': - ' v i’
3 “Isuppose not,” said Panclis; ’ A " i ‘ ‘
1 lletook out his note-book,.opened ilC,‘Slll1t it, droplled
it into liis‘hat,"wliicli was beside him on“ the desk, “P
looked in at it as it lay at the bottom of the hat: all Will‘
agrcat appearance of consideration.‘ ‘ 9 ‘ '
I A“-Mr.‘ Clennam," he then began,.,“ I am in want of III-
ionnation, SlI'.’i V ' ‘ g. :' V "’ ' ‘
‘ 1 "Connected with this firm?” asked Clennam. F -
“No,” said Pancks. 1‘ 3 71 " ,“
-“‘ With‘w1iat, then, Mr.’ Pancks‘? 7 Tlint is to =53)’: '15’
suming that you want it of me.” g ,
""‘ Yes,‘ sir i yes,“I want it of you," said Pancks, “ if I can
persuade you to furnish it." A, B, C, D; "DA, DEr'D,I,'
DO. Dictionni-y‘ordei'.i Dorrit. ‘That's the name.‘5”-
- 'Mr.‘Pancl<s blew off his peculiar noise again, and fen ‘0
at his right-liand nails“ Arthur looked seaijcliitigll’ at
him ; he returned the look. ‘ “’ ' ,
“I don’t understand you, Mr. Pancks.”v' " "’ ',
’ " That’s the name that’I want to know about." “ r ,
' "’And what do you want to know?“ " ’ '31 '
“ Whatever you can and will tell me." ‘This c0Xi11j‘“3'
liensive summary of his desires was not disclinrgetl W“ ,‘
out some-heavy laboiiring on the part at ‘Mr. Pnnclifls
machinery. , z 2 .‘ -W " " A
- “This is'a singular visit, Mr. Panclcs. It strikes 1110
as rather extraordinary that you should como,‘wit11 $11‘?
an object to me.”‘ 2' s-. . ,= -.r 2 at ::;-. .:.m l‘ : (Id
“ It ‘ma? be all extraordinary tog:-.tlier',” returne
PMCKS. ,“ It may be out of the ordinary course, ‘ma -Yet
be business. In short, it is business.‘ I am 11 In”-“,0
business. ‘ VVliat business have I in this present'wo1':‘l'
excellt to stickto business ‘? ‘= No business.” i '7 .
.lVitli his former doubt whether this dry hard ]7f‘l'50”:
339 Were quite in earnest,’ Clennaiii again turned liIS,e‘)'e”
attentively upon his face." It was as scrubby and ding? “'3
CV91‘, and as eager and quick'as ever, and he C0“]d 590
mmllllg’ lllfking in it that was at’ all'expressiveI0f,,“
ltilllellt mockery that had seemed to strike upon his cal‘ 11‘
tevoice. -‘
x.