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-‘Jonas ; when
‘)Vit's particular injunction.
utmost’ satisfaction,
JIIAIBTIN 011 UZZLE WIT.
closure tlii-ou‘gli-'tlie'bursting forth of the indignation he
had hearded up, duringhis residence with Mr. Pecksniti,
7 were retarded, but not beyond a few hours, by the occur-
1rences>just=nowrelated.I Stunned, as’ he had been at
first by the intelligence conveyed to him through Tom
Pinch and John VVestlock, of the supposed manner ofhis
brother’s death; overwhelmed as he was by the subse-
quent narratives of Chuficy and Nadgett, and the forg-
’ing of that-cliuin of circumstances ending in the death of
Jonas, of which catastrophe he was immediately in-
formed ; scattered as his purposes and hopes were for the
moment, by the crowding in of all these incidents be-
“twecu him and his end ; still their very intensity and the
ztumult of their assemblage nerved him to the‘ rapid and
unyielding execution of his scheme. In every single
circumstance, whether it were cruel, cowardly, or false,
he saw the flowering of the same pregnant seed. Self ;
grasping, eager, narrow-ranging, over-reaching self;
‘with its long trainof suspicions, lusts, deceits, and all
their growing‘ consequences; was the root of the vile
.tree. Mr. Peclrsniff had so presented his character be-
fore the old man's eyes, that he-the good, the tolerant,
enduring Pecksiiiff-had become the incarnation of all
selfishness and treachery ; and the more odious the shapes
in which those vices i-angedthemselves before him now,
the sterner consolation he had in his design of setting
Mr. Pecksniff right, and Mr. Pecksnili’s victims too.
To this work he brought, not only the energy and de-
termination natural to his character (which as the reader
may have observed in the beginning of his or her ac-
quaintance with this gentleman, was remarkable for the
strong development of these qualities), but all the forced
tmdunnaturally nurtured energy consequent upon their
-long suppression. And these two tides of resolution set-
ting into one and sweeping on, became so strong and
Vigorous,'that,’ to prevent themselves from being carried
3-Way before it, ‘Heaven knows where, was as much as
John W'estlock and Mark Tapley together (though they
‘were tolei-ably energetic too) could manage to effect.
-2 Herliad sent for Jolm lVestlock immediately 011 his
arrival-; and John, under the conduct of Tom. Pinch, had
waited on him,-, Having a lively recollection of Mr.
Tapley,.he had caused that-gentleman’s attendance ‘to
be secured, through Jolin’s means, without delay ; and
-thus, as we have seen, they had all repaired, together,
to the city. But his grandson he had refused to see
‘until to-morrow, when Mr. Tapley was instructed t0
summon him to the Temple at ten o'clock in the fore-
1100n. Tom ‘he would not allow to be employed in any-
tliing,‘lest he should be wrongfully suspected‘; but he,
was a party to all their proceedings, and was with them
until late at ni lit-until after they knew of the death Of
, he went home to tell all these wonders to
little Ruth, and to prepare her for accompanying him to
the-Temple in the morning," agreeablyto Mr. Cliiizzle-
t was characteristic of old Martin, and his looking on
Atogsometliing-xvhicli he had distinctly before him, that
he communicated to them nothing of his intentions, be-
yond such hints of reprisal on Mr. Peclisnlif 33 the)’
gathered from the game he had played in that gentle-
man's house; andthe brightening of ‘ his eyes whenever
. 13 name was mentioned.
Even to John Westlock, in
whom" he-was evidently disposed to place great Confidence
(which may indeed be said of every one of them). he
gave no explanation wliatever. He gnerelif T0(l'1‘35t9,d
irn to -return’ in -the morning: and “Nb am’ far thfm
f they left him, when the night‘ ii as
ar advanccdalone.‘ I ' ‘
N Tlieievents of such a day might have worn olpt tip:
Ody and spirit of a much younger mil? “"1" her. ut 8
sat in deep and painful meditation until the morninglwas
.bn'ght. 5-Nor did- he-even then. seek‘ an): proloyllge re-
POSV-‘; but -merely slumbered in’ his chair. 1111'“ t5f31:'.e“
o’clock, when Mr. Tapley had appointed to “D3 Oh ”"
by his desire: and came--as fresh and clean an e eer-
f 1 1 ' ‘ ' . If. , .
“"a1Ioti::i:;hnd:tguhtlT?’ said Mr. Chuzzlewii, 0P‘3mnz3' lhg
g901- tq him in mplylto light knock, which had rouse
taiiiliglies sir,” replied Mr'iT“p]e-V’ wlmse. mind
Would.appear from the context to have been‘ running on
1171
the matrimonial service, “ is to love, honour, and obey.
The clocl-'.’s a-striking now, sir." ..
“ Come in i” ‘ ,
“ 'l‘liank'ee, sir,” rejoined Mr. Tapley, “ what could I
do for you first, sir?” i ' ' '
“ You gave my message to Martin?" said the old man,
bending his eyes upon him. - t
“I did, sir,” returned Mark; “ and you never see‘ a
gentleman more surprised in all your born days than he
was ”
“ What more did you tell him 7 ” Mr. Cliuzzlewit in-
quired. ,
“ Why, sir,” said Mr. Tapley, smiling, “ I should
have liked to tell him a. deal more, but not being able,
sir, I didn't tell it him.” ‘ ‘ '
“ You told him all you knew?” ,
“ But it was precious little, sir,” retorted Mr. Tapley.
“ There was very little respectin’ you that I was able to
tell him, sir. I only mentioned my opinion that Mix;
Pecksniif would find-himself deceived, sir, and that you
would find yourself deceived, and that he would find him-
self deceived, sir.” . I -
“ In what ? ” asked Mr. Chuzzlewit.
“ Meaning him, sir?”
“ Meaning both him and me.” ‘ ’
“ VVell, sir," said Mr. Tapley. “ In your old opinions.
of each other. As to him, sir, and his opinions, I know‘
he’s a altered man. I know it. I k.now’d it lon afore
he spoke to you t’other day, and I must say it. obody;
den’t know half as much of him as I do. Nobody can’t.
There was always a deal of good in him, but a littleof
it got crusted over somehow. I can’t say who rolledthe
paste of that ’ere crust myself, but-” I V
“ Go on,” said Martin. “ Why do you stop?”
“ But itswell l I beg your pardon, but I think it may
have been you, sir. Unintentionall think it may, have
been you. I don't believe that neither of you gave the
other quite a fair chance. There ! Now I've got rid
on it,” said Mr. Tapley, in a fit of desperation : “ I can't
go a carryin’ it about in my own mind, bustin’ myself
with it ; yesterday was quitelong enough. It’s out now.
I can’t help it. l’in sorry for it. Don’t Wisit it on him,
sir. That’s all." ‘ ' ‘
It was clear that Mark expected to be ordered out im-
mediately, and was quite prepared to go. ’ ‘ -
“ So you think,” said Martin, “ that his old faults are,
in some degree, of my creation, do you ?” ' ' ‘
“XVel1, sir,” retorted Mr. Tapley, “I’m wery sorry,
but I can’t unsay it. It’s hardly fair of you, sir, to make
a ignorant man coiiwict himself in this way, but I do
think so. I am as respectful disposed to you, sir, as a
man can be ; but I do think so." a V
The light of a faint smile seemed to break through the
dull steadiness of Martin's face, as he looked attentively
at him, without replying. ' ’ .
“Yet you areanignorant man,” you say,”he observed,
after a long pause. ’ g -
“ ‘Very much so," Mr. Tapley replied. '
“ -And-I a learned, well-instructed man, you think?”
“ Likewise wery much so,”- Mr. Tapley answered. . ’
The old II1!1Il,'V‘I'ltl1'l1lS chin resting on his hand, paced
the mom twice or thrice before he added :. . ‘.
" You have left him this morning?"
“ Come straight from him now. sir."
“ For what: does he suppose?" ‘ ' .
"He don’t know what to suppose, sir, no more than
myself. I told him jest what passed yesterday, sir, and
that you had said to me, ‘ Can you be hereby seven in
the morning?’ and that you had said to him, through
me, ‘ Can you be here by ten in the morning?’ and that
I had said ‘ Yes ’ to both. That’s all, sir.” " 2 -
His frankness was so genuine that it plainly was all.
“ Perhaps,” saidlllartin, “ he may think you are going
to desert him, and to serve me '2” ‘ i ‘
“ I have served him in that sort of way, sir,” replied
Mark, without the loss of any atom of his self-possesn
sion ; “ and we have been that sort of companions in mis-
fortune,that my opinion is, he don't believe‘a word on
it. No more than you do, sir.” j - V '7 ,
“ Will youhelp me to dress? and get me some break-
fast from the hotel?” asked Martin. ‘ ' ‘ -‘ r
“ with pleasure,‘sir," sjaid'Mark. . >