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..,.‘$No I ..At least,” said-Clennaxn; V“you':are 'known7to.
be alive and unharmed.‘ At least you cannot escape
.fro1n.these two witnesses; and they can-produceyou
.beforeVany public authorities, nornbefore hundredsVof
people.” . -. . ‘
' ," But will not produce me before‘, one,”. said. Rigaud,
-snapping his fingers -again with. an-air of triumphant
Vmenace. “ To the Devil Witllu your witnesses l - To the
Devil with your produced ! To the Devil with yourself I
, What ‘Z,-, Do I know what I know, for that? Have I my
.commod’ity on sale, for that? Bah, poor debtor l”You
jhave interrupted my little project. -Let itpass. ;iHow
then? ,VIVhat remains? - To -you, nothing; to inc, all.
Produce me? Is that what you want? I will "produce
-myself, only too quickly.: Contrabandistl Give me
pen, ink, and paper.” ‘ i . -” V-‘ . V .
. A Cavalletto got up again as before, and laidthem before
him in his former’ manner. Rigaud, after some villan-
ous thinking andsmiling, wrote and read aloud as fol-
lows: . .V
., ;. .“ To Mas. CLENNAM.
. , “ VVn.it answer. .
“, Prison of1tl1e Marshalsea. : ' l'-
V y ' V ; ,“ At the apartment of your son. .
"Dear Madam, .- ' V - V V -V V V
, . - . - “I am in despair to be informed today by
our prisoner here (who has had the goodness to employ
s ies to seek me, living for politic reasons in retirement),
3 that you have had fears for my safety. , V
. “Re-assure yourself, dear madam. I am well, I am
-strong and constant. .; . . - ; , - .
;“iVith the greatest impatience I shouldl fly to your
house, but that I foresee it to be possible, under the cir-
cumstances, that youwill not yet have quite definitively
arranrred the little proposition I have had the honour to
submit to you. .1 name one week from .this day, for a
last final visit on my part ;.when you will uncondition-
ally accept it or reject it, with its train of consequences.
“I suppress my ardour to embrace you and achieve
.this interesting business, in order that you may have
leisure to adjust its details to our perfect mutual‘ satis-
faction... - V‘ .- in - V: V
. . f‘ In the meanwhile, it is not too much to propose (our
prisoner having deranged my. housekeeping), that my
expenses of lodging and nourishment at an hotel shall
be paid by you. , ; ‘ ‘ V
“Receive, dear madam, the assurance of my highest
and most distinguished consideration, ,
‘ " ’ ' “ Bream) Bnannors.
“ A thousands friendships to that dear Flintwinch.
“ I kiss the hands of Madame F.” -
When he had finished this epistle, Iligaud‘ folded it
and tossed it with a flourish at Clennanfs feet; “Hola.
you! Apropos of producing, let somebody produce that
at its address, and produce the answer here.” .
“ Cavalletto,” said Arthur. ' “ “Till you take this fel-
low’s letter?” - ‘ V , , g ‘ '
But, Cavalletto’s significant finger again -expressing
that his post was at the door to keep watch over Rigaud
now he had found him with so much trouble, and that
the duty of his postwas to sit on the floor backed up by
the door, looking at Rigaud and holding his own ankles,
-Signor Panco once more volunteered. His services be-
ing accepted, Cavalletto suffered the door to open barely
wide enough to admit of his squeezing himself out, and
immediately shut it on him. a . V .
“ Touch me with a finger, touch me with an epithet,
' question my superiority as I sit here drinking my wine at
my pleasure,". said Rigaud. ,“ and I follow the letter and
cancel my week’s grace. You wanted me? V You have got
mel -How do you like me?” I . .. .
." You know,” returned Clennam, with a bitter sense
of his helplessness, “ that when I sought you, I was not
a. prisoner.” :. V
“ To the Devil with you and your prison,” retoz-ted
.Rigaud, leisurely, as he took from his pocket. a case
containing the materials for making cigarettes, and em.
played his facile hands in folding a few for present use;
“ I care forneither of you. Contrabandist l A light.”
Again Cavalletto got up, and gave him what he
CHARLES. JDIOKENS ’55W0R1i'S.
wanted.’ There“had- been"som'ething, dreadful in the
noiseless skill of Vhis'cold,5 white hands, with ‘the fingers
lithely twisting about and twiningone over another like
serpents. Clennam could not prevent himself from
shuddering inwardly, as if he had been lookingon at a
nest of those creatures. ’V " ‘ i " 7 ‘ ‘
.4 V“ Hola, Pig l” cried'Rigaud’,lwitli anoisy, stimulating
cry, as if Cavalletto were an Italian-‘horse orrmule.
.“ What l-V The infernal old jail was a respectablepone to
this. There was dignity in the -bars and stones of that
place. It was a prison for men. But this? ‘Bah l‘ A
hospital forVimbecilesl’’ ‘1 f;3“' ‘- “ ‘“’ ' " "
:2 He smokedrhiscigarette ‘out, with his ugl smile so
‘fixed upon his face, that he looked as thong ‘he were
smoking with his drooping beak of "a" nose, rather than
his mouth; like a‘ fancy in a"weird picture; When he
had lighted a second cigarette at the still-buming end of
the first, he said to Clennam : l W
“One must pass the time in the madman’s absence.
One must talk. V'One can’t'drink,strong wine all day
long, or I would have another bottle. VShe’s handsome,
sir. Though not exactly to my taste, still, by the Thun-
der and the Lightning 1 handsome. I felicitate you ‘on
Your admiration.”-‘V: :-"' ' 3 H‘ ' " V T‘ I
. “I neitlierrknow not ask,” said Clennam,“ of Whom
ousea."."-V - 5 7 -7 ""‘
V “'Della bella. Gowana, sir, as they say in Italy. "Of the
Gowan, the fair Gowan.” , ‘ A
f‘ 0f whose husband you were the+fo1lower, I think I"
“ Sir‘? Follower? You are insolent. The friend."
' “ Do you sell all your friends?”
Rigaud took his cigarette from his mouth, and eyed
him with a momentary revelationof surprises. But, 110
put it between his lips again,‘ as he answered with 7 cool-
IIGSSZ.‘ ; = -I . V. ; '
i “ I sell anything. that commands a price."'How' do
your lawyers live, your politicians, your intriguers, you?
men of the Exchange? - How dovyou live‘? L How do you
come here?“ Have you sold no friend? -Lady of misc 1
Iratherthink,Vyesl”= 1-. ‘V ‘ - r ‘ "
. Clennam turned away from him‘ towards the window:
and sat looking out at the wall; - - 3' V V ' ‘
‘V “Effectively, sir,”. said Rigaud,“ Socic-.ty”sells itself
and sells me : and I-sell-Society.‘ --I perceive you‘.‘h‘“"’
acquaintance. with another lady. ' Also handsome. A
strong spirit. 'Let us see. How do V’ they call‘ her?
IVade.” ‘ V ‘ ' ' :1‘: V . -
’ He received no answer, but could easily<discem that
hohadhitthelmark. - ’>. . V. 1 ; '
“ Yes I” he went on, “ that handsome lady and strong
1;
' spirit addresses me in the street, and lam not insensiblc.
I respond. That handsome lady and strong spirit (1005
me the favour to remark, in full confidence, V‘ l l1avc"IJ1)'
curiosity, and,I have my chagrins. V‘ You are not more
than ordinarily honourable, perhaps?’ I announce my"
self, ‘ Madam,’ a gentleman from the birth, and a gentle-
man to the death ; but not more than ordinarily honour-
able. ldespise such a weak‘ fantasy.“ Thereupon 5119
IS pleased to compliment. ‘ The difference between you
and the rest is,’ she answers, ‘that vou' sayso." ‘F91’:
she knows society. I accepther coiigratulations with
‘gallantry and politeness.-V Politeness and'little gallan-
tries are inseparable from my character. She then
makes a proposition, which is,?in’ef'fect, that she ‘I183
seen us much together; that it appears to her that I am
1'0’ the P515-Sing timetlie eat of the house, theVfriend,0f
the family; that her curiosity and her chagrins awaken
the, fancy to be acquainted with itheirmovemenlsv ‘.0
know the manner of their life, how the fair Gowaml ‘S
beloved, how the fair Gowana‘ isUcherished,‘ and so On-
She is not rich, but offers such and such little recom‘
Denses for the little cares and derangements of such sci‘-
"icf-‘3; and I graciously-to do everything graciouslf ‘5
it part of my character-consent to accept them. -‘0”.'f,e5 I
So goes the worldf It is the mode.” V‘ - .
“Though Clennam's' back was turned while I16 ‘5I’0ke'
and thenceforth to the ‘end -of the interview. he‘ ‘em
those glittering eyes of his that were too near togetlicr.
“DOB him. and evidently saw in the very carriage of we
1
head, as he passed, wit his braggart recl-zlessnessf flfom
clause to clause of what he‘ said, that ho was saying
nothing which Clcnnam did not already know.
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