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. Let me think now.
< ‘- LITTLE"
. Once, he askedthe pensioner, in that general clemency -
which asked him‘ anything to keep -him afloat, how ‘old
his younger grandchild was? ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ 5 " V v
'"John Edward,“ said the pensioner, slowly laying
downhis knife and fork to consider. ,.“How old, sir‘!
-The Father‘ of the Marshalsea tapped his forehead.
("Memorywea'." ’ ’ “ , ‘ “ ' -
“f,John‘ Edward, sir? ’VVell, I really forget. ;I couldn't
say, at this minute, sir, whether it’s two and two months,
orhwhether it’s two and live months. ,It's one or the
oter.""“' ' ' ' ‘ ' " m
"“Don’t distressyourself by worrying your mind about
it,” he returned, with infinite forbearance. (“Faculties
evidently decaying-Aold man rusts in the life he leads‘!’’)
‘The more of these discoveries that he persuaded him-
self he made in the pensioner, the better he appeared to
like him';‘ and when he got out of his chair after tea, to
bid the‘pensioner“good-bye, on his intimating that he
feared,‘ho'n'oured "sir, his time was running out, he made
' himself look as erect and strong as possible.
" XVe don’t call this a‘ shilling, Nandy, you know,” he
said, putting one in his hand. f “lVe,call it tobacco."
““Honoured sir,“I? thank you.“"It shall buy tobacco.
My thanks and duty to Miss Amy and Miss Fanny. I
wish you ‘good-"night, Mr.‘ Clennam.”
‘- “‘ And mind you don’t forget us, you know, Nandy,”
said the Father. “ You must come again, mind, when-
ever youhave an’ afternoon. You must not come out
without seeing us, or we shall be jealous. Good-night,
Nandy. Be very careful how’ you descend the stairs,
Nandy ; they are rather uneven and worn.” VVith that
he stood on the landing, watching the old man down;
andfwhen‘ he came -into’ the room‘ again, said, with a.
solemn‘satisfaction'on‘him, “A melancholy sight that,
Mr.’Clennam,‘ though'one has the consolation of know-
ing that he doesn't feel it himself. The poor old fellow
isa dismal wreck. “ Spirit broken and gone-'-pulverized
-crushed out of him, sir, completely l”
As Clennam had a purpose in remaining, he said what
he could responsive to these sentiments, and stood at the
window with their euunciator, while Maggy and her
Little Mother washed the tea-service and cleared it away.
He noticed that his companion stood at the window with
the airof an affableand accessible Sovcreign,,and that,
when any of his people in the yard below looked up, his
irecognition of their salutes just stopped short of a bless-
nv. ,
‘Vixen Little Dorrit hadher workon the table, and
'Mag'gy hers on the bedstead, Fanny fell to tyingher
Vbonnet as a. preliminary to her departure.- Arthur, still
having his purpose, still'remained.‘ At this time the
door opened, without any notice,‘ and Mr. Tip came in.
He kissed Amy as she started up ‘to meet him, nodded
t0.Fanny. noddedlto his father, gloomcd on the visitor
without‘ further recognition, and sat down. ‘
“‘Tip, dear,” said Little Dorrit mildly, shockedby
this’ n donyt you see‘-gay . . . . . -
. . ‘.‘ Yes, I see, Amy. If you refer to the presence of any
visitor you have here--I say, if ‘on refer to that,” ans
swered Tip, jerking his head wit emphasis towards his
shoulder nearest Clennam, “ I see I” ‘ - ,
“Is that all you say? ” ‘ '
“That’s‘a1l I say. And I snppose,”,added‘the lofty
young man, after a moment’s pause, “the visitor will
understand me, when I say that’s all I say. In short, I
Suppose the visitor will understand, that he hasn't used
me like :1. gentleman.” ' ‘ .
‘ "'I do not ‘understand that,”'observed the obnoxious
Pefsouage referred to, with tranquillity. ' ' ' v
uN
0? 'VVhy, then, to make’ it clearer to you, Sir. I
r beg to let you know, that when I address what I.call a
Properly-worded appeal, and an urgent appeal, and a
delicate appeal,.to an individual, for a small temporary
accommodation, easily within his power-'-easil y wi thin his
l>0We1', mind l‘-and when that individual writes back
Word to mepthat he begs to be excused,,I consider that
he doesn’t treat me like a gentleman.” ‘ ‘
The Father of the Marshalsea, who who had surveyed -
his son in silence, no, sooner heard‘ this sentiment,’ than
110‘lJ0gan, in an angry voice : ' '
, How dare you-” But his son stopped him.
DORRI T. “ N 821
“ Now, don’t ask me how I dare, father, because that’s
bosh. As to the fact of the line of conduct I choose to
adopt towards the individual present, you ought to be
proud of my showing a proper spirit.” a = ‘ . , . ‘
' “I should think so l” cried Fanny. - . . . .;
‘ .“ A proper spirit? " said the’ Father. " “.Yes, a proper
spirit ; a becoming spirit. Is it come to this that my.son
teaches me-me-spirit l” V ‘ . , ‘ .
“Now, don’t let us bother about it, father, or have
i J
any row’ on the subject.‘ , I have fully made up my mind ’
that the individual present has not treated me like agen- '
tleman. And there’s an end of it." p ,
“ But there is not an end of it, sir,” returned the Father.
“ But there shall not be an end of it. You have made up
your mind? You have made up your mind i” . ,
h“Yes, I have. VVhat’s the good of keeping on like
t at?”
- “ Because,” returned thge Father, in a great heat. “ you
had no right to make up your mind to what is monstrous,
to what is-ha--immoral, to what is-hum-parricidal.
No, Mr. Clennarn, I beg, sir. Don't ask me to desist;
there is a-hum-a general principal involved here,
which rises even above’ considerations of-hae-hospitah
ity. I object to the assertion made by my son. I-ha'-
I personally repel it.”- ‘ ' ‘ . ‘
“ VVhy,‘ what is it to you, Father?” returned the son,
over his shoulder. ‘ , , r
“ lVhat is it to me, sir? I have a-hum-a spirit, sir,
that will not endure it. I,” he took out his pocket-hand-
kerchief again and dabbedhis face. “ I am outraged
and insulted by it. Let me suppose the case that I my-
self may at a certain time-ha-or times, have made a-
hurnean appeal, and a properly-worded appeal, and a
delicate appeal, and an urgent appeal, to some individual
for a small temporary accommodation. Let me suppose
that that accommodation could have been easily extended,
and was not extended, and that that individual informed
me that he begged to be excused.. Am I to be told by
my own son, that I therefore received treatment not due
to agentleman, and that I-ha-I submitted to it?” .
His daughter Amy ently tried to calm him, but he would
not on any account eicalmed. He said his spirit was
up, and wonldn’t endure this. 7 , , ,
VVas he to be told that, he wished to know again, by
his own son, on his ownhearth, to his own face? “ins
that humiliation to be put upon him by his own blood? 2
‘.‘ You are putting it on-yourself, father, and getting
into all this injury of your own accord,” said the young
gentleman morosely. “ VVhat .I have made, up my mind
about has pothing to do with you. 5 “What I said, had
nothing to do with you. .lVhy need you go trying on
other people's hats?’ K , V, V . , , s y
.‘.‘I reply it has everythingto do with rue," returned
the Father. “ I point out to you, sir, with -indignation,
that--hum-the-ha-delicacy and peculiarity of your
father’s position should strike you dumb, sir, if nothing
else should, in laying down such-ha-such unnatural
princi les. Besides ; if you are not filial, sir, if you dis-
‘card t not duty, are‘ you at least-hum-not a Christian?
Are you--ha-an Atheist? And is it Christian, let me
ask you, to stigmatise and denounce an individual for‘
begging to be excused this time, when the same individ-
ual,may--ha-respond with required accommodation next
time? Is it the part of a Christian not to-hum-not to
try him again‘; ” ’ He had worked himself into quite a
religious glow and fervour. . . , . .. . - . .
““ I see precious well,” said Mr. Tip, rising, “ that I
shall get no sensible or fair argument here tonight, and
so the best thing I can do is to cut. Good night, Amy.
Don’t be vexed. I am very sorry it happened here, and
you here, upon my soul I am ; but I can’t altogether part
with my spirit, even for your sake, old girl.’.’ i
, With those words he put on his hat and went out, ac-
companied by Miss ’ Fanny ; who did not consider it
spirited on her part to take leave of Clennam with any
less opposing demonstration than a stare, importing that
she hadalways known him for one of the large body of
conspirators. x - . . . r
lVhen they were gone. the Father of 'tho Marshalsea
was at first inclined to sink into dcspondcncy again, and
would have done so, but that a gentleman opportunely
.came up within a minute or two to attend him to the
as
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