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‘ "‘Yes,"l know I7 am wrong',’’ sliepleaded iimidly,
834 -
. '“Mi-. Clennam, will he pay.aJ17his debts before he
leaveshere?’.’ .. V‘ w- In ' ‘X '
.'n“.No doubt.- 'All.’? 7 ‘ 1
‘.‘All the debts for which‘he,'has
‘1
V been imprisoned
here, all mylife and“lo'ng'er‘2” V we c "i 1':
.v‘A‘No doubt.”‘ "7 1 " " K “ .. ‘ T i h T’,
,. There wassomething of uncertainty and. remonstrance
in her look"; someythiugnthat wasynot all satisfaction. He
wondered to detect it, and said: v ‘ . i -V ‘ ’
“You are glad that he should do so‘Z”- ‘
'9‘ Are you‘2”. asked Little Dorrit, wistfully.
, ,
-3I“.Am I?‘Most heartilygliidi”w7 ’
' x‘‘And are you not?” - ‘ i ' ' '. p y
,u 11; seems to me hard,” said Little Dorrit,‘.“that he
should liavelost soniany years and sufferedso much,
and at last pay all ‘the debts as well.‘ It seems to-me
hard that he should pay in life and money Ibothvf’ if
“ My dear childe-” Clennam was beginning, : . . <
“Then Iknow I ought to be?” p p “H ‘V :4.’ I’
I‘ don’t think" a.ny.'worse’of, me; it has groivnyupwith
mehere." ' -: .- i v ' ' = , ':"i.
, The prison, which ‘could spoil “so many things; had
tainted Little Dorrit’s mind no more than this." Eugen-
tiered as the confusion was,'in compassion for the poor
prisoner, her father, it was .tlie‘tirst speck Clennani had
ever seen, itwas vtheilast speck'Cleiinam3 ever saw, of
the prisonatmospliere'upon.lierJ I I, ,2 s :.i i
He thought this, and forboreto sayanother wordL
.W'ith tlievthouglitf her.purity and goodness ’caiiie’l)'efore
-liim in their briglit.est'light.' The little spotmade them
the morebeautiful. ?. " -‘ . y. “ H E A ;
' 'VVorn out with, her own emotions, and'yielding to'the
silence of the room, herhaiid slowlyslackened andfailed
in its fanning movement, and her head dropped down
on the pillow at her father's side. I Clennam rose softly,
opened and closed the door without a.s'ound,’and passed
from the prison, ‘carrying the quiet with him into the
turbulent streets.‘ " " ,3 I :- V v '
Ii, '. rm
1‘ ', ---!.-i
ClliiyPTElt,X')f’r'XYl., , , ’,'
V The .l!(irshir1s.'2a'becomE2s an 01-zrihan. , V r A
Aim now theday arrived, when Mr.‘ Dorrit andihis
‘family were to leave the prison for ever, and the stones
‘of its much‘-troddenpavement were to know them'vno
more. " ' ' v : -
p The interval had been short, but he had greatly com-
plained of its length, and had been imperious with Mr.
‘Rugg touching the delay. He had been high with Mr.
Rugg, and had threatened to employ some one else. ‘He
had requested Mr. Rugg not to presume upon the place
'11! which he found him,'bnt:toido his duty, sir, and to
do it. with promptitude. He had told Mr. Rugg that he
knew what lawyers and agents were, and that he ‘would
not submit to imposition. On that gentlemaifs humbly
representing that. he exerted himself to the utmost,
Miss Fanny was very short with him ; desiring to know
what less he could do, wlienrhe had been told a dozen
times that money was not object, ‘and expressing her
suspicion that he forgot whom he talked to. ' ' V
Towards the'Marsli'al, who was ‘a'Marslial of many
years’ standing, and with whom he had never had any
previous. difference, Mr. Dorrit comportcd. Illl1'lS6lf.VVlth
severity. That oflicer, on personally tendering his con.
gratiilations, offered 'the free use'of two‘ rooms in-his
house for Mr. Doi-rit’s occupationuintil his departure.
-Mr.'Doi-i-it thanked him at the moment, and replied that
he would think of it; but the Marshal was'no.soone1-
gone than hesat down and wrote him a cutting note,‘ in
which he remarked that he had never on any former
occasion had the honour of receiving his congratulations
(which was true, though indeed there had not been any-
thing particular to congratulatediim upon), and that he
begged, on behalf of himself’ and family, to repudiate
the Marshal's offer,-with all those thanks which itsdis.
interested character and its perfect independence of-all
worldlfconsiderations demanded. ‘ ' 9 4 = i ‘ 5
although his brother showed sodim a glimmering of
interest in their altered fortunes, that itwasvery doubt-
‘ -‘.4-‘tin-'
l
T CHARLES DI UKENS ’ . ZWORKS.
ful whether he ‘unde'rstood‘them‘,‘ Mr," Dorrit causedlliim
to bemeasured for new raiment by‘ the Lhosiersptailors,
liatters, and bootmakers whom he called in for himself ;
and orderedithat his ‘old a clothes should ‘be ?taken I from
him‘ and burnedaf Miss Fanny and ’Mr. Tip ‘re upirped no
direction’ in making an appearance of great fas ion and
elegance: ; ' and the three passed this interval together at
the best‘ hotels in theIneighbourliood-tliougli truly; as
' Miss Fanny said,’ the‘best was very. indifferent.:I In con-
: nection ‘with thatestablishniont; Mr. Tip hired a cabrio-
let; horse, and groom, a very‘ neat tiirn-out,’ which ‘was
usually to be‘ observed for two or‘ tl1I'CO' hours at a time,
gracing the Borough High Street,’ outside the Marslialsea
courtyard. VA modest littlehired chariot and pair. was
also frequently to be seenthere ; iiralighting from and
entering which ‘ vehicle, Miss!’ Fanny iflutteredi the: Mar-
sha1’s daughters by the display of inaccessible bonriets.
'I- A' great deal of business was transactediin. this short
period. Among other items, Messrs. Pcddlc and Pool,
solicitors,‘ of.Monuirient Yard, were instructcdiby their
client Edward’ Dorrit,‘.-Esquire,“ to’Iaddress'a ‘letter: to
' Mr.v'Arthur Clennam,'enclosingCthe sum of. twenty-foul‘
pounds nine shillings and.'eightpeiice,'being the amount
of principal and interest computed at tho rategof five per
'cent.‘per annum,Tin whichtheir client zbelieveddiimself
to beindebted to Mr; Clennam.':1'In makingzthis com-
munication and. remittan'ce,'4Messrs. Pcddlo and’IPo01
were further instructed! by’ their: client:to remind Mr.
Clennam, that the favour of .tlic'advance,now reptud (.111-
cluding gate-fees) had not been'asked'of him, and.'to.in-
form‘ himrtliat it would not have been accepted if.1i'v had
beenbpenly proffered: in his name.‘ ".XVitlii which:t11eY
requested 'a stamped receipt,‘ and remained his obedlent
servants." A great‘dea1 of. bIlSll1eSS5hZ1d'lll(8WlS6 to be
done, within the so-soon-to-be-orphaned:Marshalsea,'by
Mr.‘ Dorrit so “long 'its".Fatlier, ichietly arising out ‘of
applications made to him by Collegians for ‘small= sums
of‘ money.‘w To these he respondedovitli the greatest
liberality, and with no rlack’ of ‘formality; always first
writing to appoint a time at which the ‘ applicant 1.11181,”
wait upon him in hiszroom, and :then receiving him In
the midst of a vast accumulation of dociiiiients, and ac-
companying his donation (for he saidin 'every.suc1i case,
“it is a donation, not a loan”) with a great deal Of 300
counsel : to the cfiecttliat he, the expiring Father of the
Marshalsea, hoped to be Ion remembered, as an exam?”
that a man might preserve is own and the genelfal 1'9‘
5Pecteventhere.': v? 2, -' I! .5 ,3 1" <7
The Collegians were not envious.‘ ; Besides that they
had a personal and traditional regard’ for a Collegian of
so many years‘ standing,’ the event was’crcditable.t0 the
College-,'and'made it famous in the newspapers.’ Perhaps
more of them thought, too, than were quite aware of 1'9:
that the thing might in the lottery of chances have 1.1"P'
pened to themselves, orthat something of the sort mlghg
yet happen to themselves some day or other.‘ ' T119)’ 190 ,
it'very well. : Afew were low at the thought of iheing
left behind, and being left poor; but even these d‘d,“"t
grudgetlie family theirhrilliant reverse. :v:Tliere:1111g1“
have been much more cnvy.in politer places. 1- It seems
probable that‘ mediocrity of ifortune . would, have ‘ been
disposed to be less, magnanimous .than the CQl19E“”‘s'
who lived .‘from hand to mouth-from the pa$VX11’1f0ke” 5
hand to the day's dinner. mm ‘:,x: ='1'<7 I d
They ‘got upan address to him, which they .presenff(‘h
in a neat frame and glass (though it was not afterwarhe
displays-d.in the-family mansion or preserved among,‘ 5
family papers) ; and to which he returned .a graciou
answer. In that document he assured them. 113 1‘ R071’:
manner, that he reccived:the profession -of their 11W“‘.I;
ment withva full conviction of its sincerity ;.and'ag11;
generally exhorted them to follow his example-“"1119;
at least in so‘far' as coming into a great pI0Pe”7 ‘:1?
concerned, there is no doubt they would liavc 31“ H7;
imitated. >IIe tookthe sammoccasion of -inviting ‘ 91 0
to a comprehensive entertainment,-to; be glyell wdlfo
whole College in the yard; and at which he.s1gm‘le “'6
would have the honour of taking. a:parting $1353 to :0
health and happiness of all those whom he was ab011i
leave behind: ‘' .‘ - 7.’ . I :0 ‘W’ .' ’m'0k
Hedid not in erson dineat this public relmst 0‘ 0
place at twp in t e afternoon, and his diuuers.now.cam
&.’