wohnzimmer sessel gebraucht

our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 5 mercury prompting fledgeby deserved mr alfred lammle'seulogium. he was the meanest cur existing, with asingle pair of legs. and instinct (a word we all clearlyunderstand) going largely on four legs, and reason always on two, meanness on four legsnever attains the perfection of meanness on two. the father of this young gentleman had beena money-lender, who had transacted professional business with the mother ofthis young gentleman, when he, the latter,

was waiting in the vast dark ante-chambersof the present world to be born. the lady, a widow, being unable to pay themoney-lender, married him; and in due course, fledgeby was summoned out of thevast dark ante-chambers to come and be presented to the registrar-general. rather a curious speculation how fledgebywould otherwise have disposed of his leisure until doomsday.fledgeby's mother offended her family by marrying fledgeby's father. it is one of the easiest achievements inlife to offend your family when your family want to get rid of you.

fledgeby's mother's family had been verymuch offended with her for being poor, and broke with her for becoming comparativelyrich. fledgeby's mother's family was thesnigsworth family. she had even the high honour to be cousinto lord snigsworth--so many times removed that the noble earl would have had nocompunction in removing her one time more and dropping her clean outside the cousinlypale; but cousin for all that. among her pre-matrimonial transactions withfledgeby's father, fledgeby's mother had raised money of him at a great disadvantageon a certain reversionary interest. the reversion falling in soon after theywere married, fledgeby's father laid hold

of the cash for his separate use andbenefit. this led to subjective differences ofopinion, not to say objective interchanges of boot-jacks, backgammon boards, and othersuch domestic missiles, between fledgeby's father and fledgeby's mother, and those led to fledgeby's mother spending as much moneyas she could, and to fledgeby's father doing all he couldn't to restrain her. fledgeby's childhood had been, inconsequence, a stormy one; but the winds and the waves had gone down in the grave,and fledgeby flourished alone. he lived in chambers in the albany, didfledgeby, and maintained a spruce

appearance. but his youthful fire was all composed ofsparks from the grindstone; and as the sparks flew off, went out, and never warmedanything, be sure that fledgeby had his tools at the grindstone, and turned it witha wary eye. mr alfred lammle came round to the albanyto breakfast with fledgeby. present on the table, one scanty pot oftea, one scanty loaf, two scanty pats of butter, two scanty rashers of bacon, twopitiful eggs, and an abundance of handsome china bought a secondhand bargain. 'what did you think of georgiana?' asked mrlammle.

'why, i'll tell you,' said fledgeby, verydeliberately. 'do, my boy.' 'you misunderstand me,' said fledgeby.'i don't mean i'll tell you that. i mean i'll tell you something else.''tell me anything, old fellow!' 'ah, but there you misunderstand me again,'said fledgeby. 'i mean i'll tell you nothing.'mr lammle sparkled at him, but frowned at him too. 'look here,' said fledgeby.'you're deep and you're ready. whether i am deep or not, never mind.i am not ready.

but i can do one thing, lammle, i can holdmy tongue. and i intend always doing it.''you are a long-headed fellow, fledgeby.' 'may be, or may not be. if i am a short-tongued fellow, it mayamount to the same thing. now, lammle, i am never going to answerquestions.' 'my dear fellow, it was the simplestquestion in the world.' 'never mind.it seemed so, but things are not always what they seem. i saw a man examined as a witness inwestminster hall.

questions put to him seemed the simplest inthe world, but turned out to be anything rather than that, after he had answered'em. very well. then he should have held his tongue.if he had held his tongue he would have kept out of scrapes that he got into.' 'if i had held my tongue, you would neverhave seen the subject of my question,' remarked lammle, darkening. 'now, lammle,' said fascination fledgeby,calmly feeling for his whisker, 'it won't do.i won't be led on into a discussion.

i can't manage a discussion. but i can manage to hold my tongue.''can?' mr lammle fell back upon propitiation.'i should think you could! why, when these fellows of our acquaintancedrink and you drink with them, the more talkative they get, the more silent youget. the more they let out, the more you keepin.' 'i don't object, lammle,' returnedfledgeby, with an internal chuckle, 'to being understood, though i object to beingquestioned. that certainly is the way i do it.'

'and when all the rest of us are discussingour ventures, none of us ever know what a single venture of yours is!' 'and none of you ever will from me,lammle,' replied fledgeby, with another internal chuckle; 'that certainly is theway i do it.' 'why of course it is, i know!' rejoinedlammle, with a flourish of frankness, and a laugh, and stretching out his hands as ifto show the universe a remarkable man in fledgeby. 'if i hadn't known it of my fledgeby,should i have proposed our little compact of advantage, to my fledgeby?''ah!' remarked fascination, shaking his

head slyly. 'but i am not to be got at in that way.i am not vain. that sort of vanity don't pay, lammle.no, no, no. compliments only make me hold my tongue themore.' alfred lammle pushed his plate away (nogreat sacrifice under the circumstances of there being so little in it), thrust hishands in his pockets, leaned back in his chair, and contemplated fledgeby insilence. then he slowly released his left hand fromits pocket, and made that bush of his whiskers, still contemplating him insilence.

then he slowly broke silence, and slowlysaid: 'what--the--dev-il is this fellow about this morning?' 'now, look here, lammle,' said fascinationfledgeby, with the meanest of twinkles in his meanest of eyes: which were too neartogether, by the way: 'look here, lammle; i am very well aware that i didn't show to advantage last night, and that you and yourwife--who, i consider, is a very clever woman and an agreeable woman--did.i am not calculated to show to advantage under that sort of circumstances. i know very well you two did show toadvantage, and managed capitally.

but don't you on that account come talkingto me as if i was your doll and puppet, because i am not. 'and all this,' cried alfred, afterstudying with a look the meanness that was fain to have the meanest help, and yet wasso mean as to turn upon it: 'all this because of one simple natural question!' 'you should have waited till i thoughtproper to say something about it of myself. i don't like your coming over me with yourgeorgianas, as if you was her proprietor and mine too.' 'well, when you are in the gracious mind tosay anything about it of yourself,'

retorted lammle, 'pray do.''i have done it. i have said you managed capitally. you and your wife both.if you'll go on managing capitally, i'll go on doing my part.only don't crow.' 'i crow!' exclaimed lammle, shrugging hisshoulders. 'or,' pursued the other--'or take it inyour head that people are your puppets because they don't come out to advantage atthe particular moments when you do, with the assistance of a very clever andagreeable wife. all the rest keep on doing, and let mrslammle keep on doing.

now, i have held my tongue when i thoughtproper, and i have spoken when i thought proper, and there's an end of that. and now the question is,' proceededfledgeby, with the greatest reluctance, 'will you have another egg?''no, i won't,' said lammle, shortly. 'perhaps you're right and will findyourself better without it,' replied fascination, in greatly improved spirits. 'to ask you if you'll have another rasherwould be unmeaning flattery, for it would make you thirsty all day.will you have some more bread and butter?' 'no, i won't,' repeated lammle.

'then i will,' said fascination. and it was not a mere retort for thesound's sake, but was a cheerful cogent consequence of the refusal; for if lammlehad applied himself again to the loaf, it would have been so heavily visited, in fledgeby's opinion, as to demand abstinencefrom bread, on his part, for the remainder of that meal at least, if not for the wholeof the next. whether this young gentleman (for he wasbut three-and-twenty) combined with the miserly vice of an old man, any of theopen-handed vices of a young one, was a moot point; so very honourably did he keephis own counsel.

he was sensible of the value of appearancesas an investment, and liked to dress well; but he drove a bargain for every moveableabout him, from the coat on his back to the china on his breakfast-table; and every bargain by representing somebody's ruin orsomebody's loss, acquired a peculiar charm for him. it was a part of his avarice to take,within narrow bounds, long odds at races; if he won, he drove harder bargains; if helost, he half starved himself until next time. why money should be so precious to an asstoo dull and mean to exchange it for any

other satisfaction, is strange; but thereis no animal so sure to get laden with it, as the ass who sees nothing written on the face of the earth and sky but the threeletters l. s. d.--not luxury, sensuality, dissoluteness, which they often stand for,but the three dry letters. your concentrated fox is seldom comparableto your concentrated ass in money-breeding. fascination fledgeby feigned to be a younggentleman living on his means, but was known secretly to be a kind of outlaw inthe bill-broking line, and to put money out at high interest in various ways. his circle of familiar acquaintance, frommr lammle round, all had a touch of the

outlaw, as to their rovings in the merrygreenwood of jobbery forest, lying on the outskirts of the share-market and the stockexchange. 'i suppose you, lammle,' said fledgeby,eating his bread and butter, 'always did go in for female society?' 'always,' replied lammle, gloomingconsiderably under his late treatment. 'came natural to you, eh?' said fledgeby. 'the sex were pleased to like me, sir,'said lammle sulkily, but with the air of a man who had not been able to help himself.'made a pretty good thing of marrying, didn't you?' asked fledgeby.

the other smiled (an ugly smile), andtapped one tap upon his nose. 'my late governor made a mess of it,' saidfledgeby. 'but geor--is the right name georgina orgeorgiana?' 'georgiana.''i was thinking yesterday, i didn't know there was such a name. i thought it must end in ina.'why?' 'why, you play--if you can--the concertina,you know,' replied fledgeby, meditating very slowly. 'and you have--when you catch it--thescarlatina.

and you can come down from a balloon in aparach--no you can't though. well, say georgeute--i mean georgiana.' 'you were going to remark of georgiana--?'lammle moodily hinted, after waiting in vain. 'i was going to remark of georgiana, sir,'said fledgeby, not at all pleased to be reminded of his having forgotten it, 'thatshe don't seem to be violent. don't seem to be of the pitching-in order.' 'she has the gentleness of the dove, mrfledgeby.' 'of course you'll say so,' repliedfledgeby, sharpening, the moment his

interest was touched by another. 'but you know, the real look-out is this:--what i say, not what you say. i say having my late governor and my latemother in my eye--that georgiana don't seem to be of the pitching-in order.' the respected mr lammle was a bully, bynature and by usual practice. perceiving, as fledgeby's affrontscumulated, that conciliation by no means answered the purpose here, he now directeda scowling look into fledgeby's small eyes for the effect of the opposite treatment. satisfied by what he saw there, he burstinto a violent passion and struck his hand

upon the table, making the china ring anddance. 'you are a very offensive fellow, sir,'cried mr lammle, rising. 'you are a highly offensive scoundrel.what do you mean by this behaviour?' 'i say!' remonstrated fledgeby. 'don't break out.''you are a very offensive fellow sir,' repeated mr lammle.'you are a highly offensive scoundrel!' 'i say, you know!' urged fledgeby,quailing. 'why, you coarse and vulgar vagabond!' saidmr lammle, looking fiercely about him, 'if your servant was here to give me sixpenceof your money to get my boots cleaned

afterwards--for you are not worth theexpenditure--i'd kick you.' 'no you wouldn't,' pleaded fledgeby.'i am sure you'd think better of it.' 'i tell you what, mr fledgeby,' said lammleadvancing on him. 'since you presume to contradict me, i'llassert myself a little. give me your nose!' fledgeby covered it with his hand instead,and said, retreating, 'i beg you won't!' 'give me your nose, sir,' repeated lammle. still covering that feature and backing, mrfledgeby reiterated (apparently with a severe cold in his head), 'i beg, i beg,you won't.'

'and this fellow,' exclaimed lammle,stopping and making the most of his chest-- 'this fellow presumes on my having selectedhim out of all the young fellows i know, for an advantageous opportunity! this fellow presumes on my having in mydesk round the corner, his dirty note of hand for a wretched sum payable on theoccurrence of a certain event, which event can only be of my and my wife's bringingabout! this fellow, fledgeby, presumes to beimpertinent to me, lammle. give me your nose sir!' 'no! stop!i beg your pardon,' said fledgeby, with

humility.'what do you say, sir?' demanded mr lammle, seeming too furious to understand. 'i beg your pardon,' repeated fledgeby.'repeat your words louder, sir. the just indignation of a gentleman hassent the blood boiling to my head. i don't hear you.' 'i say,' repeated fledgeby, with laboriousexplanatory politeness, 'i beg your pardon.'mr lammle paused. 'as a man of honour,' said he, throwinghimself into a chair, 'i am disarmed.' mr fledgeby also took a chair, though lessdemonstratively, and by slow approaches

removed his hand from his nose. some natural diffidence assailed him as toblowing it, so shortly after its having assumed a personal and delicate, not to saypublic, character; but he overcame his scruples by degrees, and modestly took thatliberty under an implied protest. 'lammle,' he said sneakingly, when that wasdone, 'i hope we are friends again?' 'mr fledgeby,' returned lammle, 'say nomore.' 'i must have gone too far in making myselfdisagreeable,' said fledgeby, 'but i never intended it.' 'say no more, say no more!'mr lammle repeated in a magnificent tone.

'give me your'--fledgeby started--'hand.' they shook hands, and on mr lammle's part,in particular, there ensued great geniality. for, he was quite as much of a dastard asthe other, and had been in equal danger of falling into the second place for good,when he took heart just in time, to act upon the information conveyed to him byfledgeby's eye. the breakfast ended in a perfectunderstanding. incessant machinations were to be kept atwork by mr and mrs lammle; love was to be made for fledgeby, and conquest was to beinsured to him; he on his part very humbly

admitting his defects as to the softer social arts, and entreating to be backed tothe utmost by his two able coadjutors. little recked mr podsnap of the traps andtoils besetting his young person. he regarded her as safe within the templeof podsnappery, hiding the fulness of time when she, georgiana, should take him, fitz-podsnap, who with all his worldly goods should her endow. it would call a blush into the cheek of hisstandard young person to have anything to do with such matters save to take asdirected, and with worldly goods as per settlement to be endowed.

who giveth this woman to be married to thisman? i, podsnap.perish the daring thought that any smaller creation should come between! it was a public holiday, and fledgeby didnot recover his spirits or his usual temperature of nose until the afternoon. walking into the city in the holidayafternoon, he walked against a living stream setting out of it; and thus, when heturned into the precincts of st mary axe, he found a prevalent repose and quietthere. a yellow overhanging plaster-fronted houseat which he stopped was quiet too.

the blinds were all drawn down, and theinscription pubsey and co. seemed to doze in the counting-house window on the ground-floor giving on the sleepy street. fledgeby knocked and rang, and fledgebyrang and knocked, but no one came. fledgeby crossed the narrow street andlooked up at the house-windows, but nobody looked down at fledgeby. he got out of temper, crossed the narrowstreet again, and pulled the housebell as if it were the house's nose, and he weretaking a hint from his late experience. his ear at the keyhole seemed then, atlast, to give him assurance that something stirred within.

his eye at the keyhole seemed to confirmhis ear, for he angrily pulled the house's nose again, and pulled and pulled andcontinued to pull, until a human nose appeared in the dark doorway. 'now you sir!' cried fledgeby.'these are nice games!' he addressed an old jewish man in anancient coat, long of skirt, and wide of pocket. a venerable man, bald and shining at thetop of his head, and with long grey hair flowing down at its sides and mingling withhis beard. a man who with a graceful eastern action ofhomage bent his head, and stretched out his

hands with the palms downward, as if todeprecate the wrath of a superior. 'what have you been up to?' said fledgeby,storming at him. 'generous christian master,' urged thejewish man, 'it being holiday, i looked for no one.' 'holiday he blowed!' said fledgeby,entering. 'what have you got to do with holidays?shut the door.' with his former action the old man obeyed. in the entry hung his rusty large-brimmedlow-crowned hat, as long out of date as his coat; in the corner near it stood hisstaff--no walking-stick but a veritable

staff. fledgeby turned into the counting-house,perched himself on a business stool, and cocked his hat. there were light boxes on shelves in thecounting-house, and strings of mock beads hanging up.there were samples of cheap clocks, and samples of cheap vases of flowers. foreign toys, all. perched on the stool with his hat cocked onhis head and one of his legs dangling, the youth of fledgeby hardly contrasted toadvantage with the age of the jewish man as

he stood with his bare head bowed, and his eyes (which he only raised in speaking) onthe ground. his clothing was worn down to the rusty hueof the hat in the entry, but though he looked shabby he did not look mean. now, fledgeby, though not shabby, did lookmean. 'you have not told me what you were up to,you sir,' said fledgeby, scratching his head with the brim of his hat. 'sir, i was breathing the air.''in the cellar, that you didn't hear?' 'on the house-top.''upon my soul!

that's a way of doing business.' 'sir,' the old man represented with a graveand patient air, 'there must be two parties to the transaction of business, and theholiday has left me alone.' 'ah! can't be buyer and seller too. that's what the jews say; ain't it?''at least we say truly, if we say so,' answered the old man with a smile. 'your people need speak the truthsometimes, for they lie enough,' remarked fascination fledgeby. 'sir, there is,' returned the old man withquiet emphasis, 'too much untruth among all

denominations of men.' rather dashed, fascination fledgeby tookanother scratch at his intellectual head with his hat, to gain time for rallying. 'for instance,' he resumed, as though itwere he who had spoken last, 'who but you and i ever heard of a poor jew?''the jews,' said the old man, raising his eyes from the ground with his former smile. 'they hear of poor jews often, and are verygood to them.' 'bother that!' returned fledgeby.'you know what i mean. you'd persuade me if you could, that youare a poor jew.

i wish you'd confess how much you reallydid make out of my late governor. i should have a better opinion of you.' the old man only bent his head, andstretched out his hands as before. 'don't go on posturing like a deaf and dumbschool,' said the ingenious fledgeby, 'but express yourself like a christian--or asnearly as you can.' 'i had had sickness and misfortunes, andwas so poor,' said the old man, 'as hopelessly to owe the father, principal andinterest. the son inheriting, was so merciful as toforgive me both, and place me here.' he made a little gesture as though hekissed the hem of an imaginary garment worn

by the noble youth before him. it was humbly done, but picturesquely, andwas not abasing to the doer. 'you won't say more, i see,' said fledgeby,looking at him as if he would like to try the effect of extracting a double-tooth ortwo, 'and so it's of no use my putting it to you. but confess this, riah; who believes you tobe poor now?' 'no one,' said the old man.'there you're right,' assented fledgeby. 'no one,' repeated the old man with a graveslow wave of his head. 'all scout it as a fable.

were i to say "this little fancy businessis not mine";' with a lithe sweep of his easily-turning hand around him, tocomprehend the various objects on the shelves; '"it is the little business of a christian young gentleman who places me,his servant, in trust and charge here, and to whom i am accountable for every singlebead," they would laugh. when, in the larger money-business, i tellthe borrowers--' 'i say, old chap!' interposed fledgeby, 'ihope you mind what you do tell 'em?' 'sir, i tell them no more than i am aboutto repeat. when i tell them, "i cannot promise this, icannot answer for the other, i must see my

principal, i have not the money, i am apoor man and it does not rest with me," they are so unbelieving and so impatient, that they sometimes curse me in jehovah'sname.' 'that's deuced good, that is!' saidfascination fledgeby. 'and at other times they say, "can it neverbe done without these tricks, mr riah? come, come, mr riah, we know the arts ofyour people"--my people!--"if the money is to be lent, fetch it, fetch it; if it isnot to be lent, keep it and say so." they never believe me.' 'that's all right,' said fascinationfledgeby.

'they say, "we know, mr riah, we know.we have but to look at you, and we know."' 'oh, a good 'un are you for the post,'thought fledgeby, 'and a good 'un was i to mark you out for it!i may be slow, but i am precious sure.' not a syllable of this reflection shapeditself in any scrap of mr fledgeby's breath, lest it should tend to put hisservant's price up. but looking at the old man as he stoodquiet with his head bowed and his eyes cast down, he felt that to relinquish an inch ofhis baldness, an inch of his grey hair, an inch of his coat-skirt, an inch of his hat- brim, an inch of his walking-staff, wouldbe to relinquish hundreds of pounds.

'look here, riah,' said fledgeby, mollifiedby these self-approving considerations. 'i want to go a little more into buying-upqueer bills. look out in that direction.''sir, it shall be done.' 'casting my eye over the accounts, i findthat branch of business pays pretty fairly, and i am game for extending it.i like to know people's affairs likewise. so look out.' 'sir, i will, promptly.' 'put it about in the right quarters, thatyou'll buy queer bills by the lump--by the pound weight if that's all--supposing yousee your way to a fair chance on looking

over the parcel. and there's one thing more.come to me with the books for periodical inspection as usual, at eight on mondaymorning.' riah drew some folding tablets from hisbreast and noted it down. 'that's all i wanted to say at the presenttime,' continued fledgeby in a grudging vein, as he got off the stool, 'except thati wish you'd take the air where you can hear the bell, or the knocker, either oneof the two or both. by-the-by how do you take the air at thetop of the house? do you stick your head out of a chimney-pot?'

'sir, there are leads there, and i havemade a little garden there.' 'to bury your money in, you old dodger?' 'a thumbnail's space of garden would holdthe treasure i bury, master,' said riah. 'twelve shillings a week, even when theyare an old man's wages, bury themselves.' 'i should like to know what you really areworth,' returned fledgeby, with whom his growing rich on that stipend and gratitudewas a very convenient fiction. 'but come! let's have a look at your garden on thetiles, before i go!' the old man took a step back, andhesitated.

'truly, sir, i have company there.' 'have you, by george!' said fledgeby; 'isuppose you happen to know whose premises these are?''sir, they are yours, and i am your servant in them.' 'oh! i thought you might have overlookedthat,' retorted fledgeby, with his eyes on riah's beard as he felt for his own;'having company on my premises, you know!' 'come up and see the guests, sir. i hope for your admission that they can dono harm.' passing him with a courteous reverence,specially unlike any action that mr

fledgeby could for his life have impartedto his own head and hands, the old man began to ascend the stairs. as he toiled on before, with his palm uponthe stair-rail, and his long black skirt, a very gaberdine, overhanging each successivestep, he might have been the leader in some pilgrimage of devotional ascent to aprophet's tomb. not troubled by any such weak imagining,fascination fledgeby merely speculated on the time of life at which his beard hadbegun, and thought once more what a good 'un he was for the part. some final wooden steps conducted them,stooping under a low penthouse roof, to the

house-top.riah stood still, and, turning to his master, pointed out his guests. lizzie hexam and jenny wren.for whom, perhaps with some old instinct of his race, the gentle jew had spread acarpet. seated on it, against no more romanticobject than a blackened chimney-stack over which some bumble creeper had been trained,they both pored over one book; both with attentive faces; jenny with the sharper;lizzie with the more perplexed. another little book or two were lying near,and a common basket of common fruit, and another basket full of strings of beads andtinsel scraps.

a few boxes of humble flowers andevergreens completed the garden; and the encompassing wilderness of dowager oldchimneys twirled their cowls and fluttered their smoke, rather as if they were bridling, and fanning themselves, andlooking on in a state of airy surprise. taking her eyes off the book, to test hermemory of something in it, lizzie was the first to see herself observed. as she rose, miss wren likewise becameconscious, and said, irreverently addressing the great chief of the premises:'whoever you are, i can't get up, because my back's bad and my legs are queer.'

'this is my master,' said riah, steppingforward. ('don't look like anybody's master,'observed miss wren to herself, with a hitch of her chin and eyes.) 'this, sir,' pursued the old man, 'is alittle dressmaker for little people. explain to the master, jenny.''dolls; that's all,' said jenny, shortly. 'very difficult to fit too, because theirfigures are so uncertain. you never know where to expect theirwaists.' 'her friend,' resumed the old man,motioning towards lizzie; 'and as industrious as virtuous.but that they both are.

they are busy early and late, sir, earlyand late; and in bye-times, as on this holiday, they go to book-learning.''not much good to be got out of that,' remarked fledgeby. 'depends upon the person!' quoth miss wren,snapping him up. 'i made acquaintance with my guests, sir,'pursued the jew, with an evident purpose of drawing out the dressmaker, 'through theircoming here to buy of our damage and waste for miss jenny's millinery. our waste goes into the best of company,sir, on her rosy-cheeked little customers. they wear it in their hair, and on theirball-dresses, and even (so she tells me)

are presented at court with it.' 'ah!' said fledgeby, on whose intelligencethis doll-fancy made rather strong demands; 'she's been buying that basketful to-day, isuppose?' 'i suppose she has,' miss jenny interposed;'and paying for it too, most likely!' 'let's have a look at it,' said thesuspicious chief. riah handed it to him. 'how much for this now?''two precious silver shillings,' said miss wren.riah confirmed her with two nods, as fledgeby looked to him.

a nod for each shilling.'well,' said fledgeby, poking into the contents of the basket with his forefinger,'the price is not so bad. you have got good measure, miss what-is-it.' 'try jenny,' suggested that young lady withgreat calmness. 'you have got good measure, miss jenny; butthe price is not so bad.--and you,' said fledgeby, turning to the other visitor, 'doyou buy anything here, miss?' 'no, sir.' 'nor sell anything neither, miss?''no, sir.' looking askew at the questioner, jennystole her hand up to her friend's, and drew

her friend down, so that she bent besideher on her knee. 'we are thankful to come here for rest,sir,' said jenny. 'you see, you don't know what the rest ofthis place is to us; does he, lizzie? it's the quiet, and the air.' 'the quiet!' repeated fledgeby, with acontemptuous turn of his head towards the city's roar.'and the air!' with a 'poof!' at the smoke. 'ah!' said jenny. 'but it's so high. and you see the clouds rushing on above thenarrow streets, not minding them, and you

see the golden arrows pointing at themountains in the sky from which the wind comes, and you feel as if you were dead.' the little creature looked above her,holding up her slight transparent hand. 'how do you feel when you are dead?' askedfledgeby, much perplexed. 'oh, so tranquil!' cried the littlecreature, smiling. 'oh, so peaceful and so thankful! and you hear the people who are alive,crying, and working, and calling to one another down in the close dark streets, andyou seem to pity them so! and such a chain has fallen from you, andsuch a strange good sorrowful happiness

comes upon you!'her eyes fell on the old man, who, with his hands folded, quietly looked on. 'why it was only just now,' said the littlecreature, pointing at him, 'that i fancied i saw him come out of his grave! he toiled out at that low door so bent andworn, and then he took his breath and stood upright, and looked all round him at thesky, and the wind blew upon him, and his life down in the dark was over!--till he was called back to life,' she added,looking round at fledgeby with that lower look of sharpness.'why did you call him back?'

'he was long enough coming, anyhow,'grumbled fledgeby. 'but you are not dead, you know,' saidjenny wren. 'get down to life!' mr fledgeby seemed to think it rather agood suggestion, and with a nod turned round. as riah followed to attend him down thestairs, the little creature called out to the jew in a silvery tone, 'don't be longgone. come back, and be dead!' and still as they went down they heard thelittle sweet voice, more and more faintly,

half calling and half singing, 'come backand be dead, come back and be dead!' when they got down into the entry,fledgeby, pausing under the shadow of the broad old hat, and mechanically poising thestaff, said to the old man: 'that's a handsome girl, that one in hersenses.' 'and as good as handsome,' answered riah. 'at all events,' observed fledgeby, with adry whistle, 'i hope she ain't bad enough to put any chap up to the fastenings, andget the premises broken open. you look out. keep your weather eye awake and don't makeany more acquaintances, however handsome.

of course you always keep my name toyourself?' 'sir, assuredly i do.' 'if they ask it, say it's pubsey, or sayit's co, or say it's anything you like, but what it is.' his grateful servant--in whose racegratitude is deep, strong, and enduring-- bowed his head, and actually did now putthe hem of his coat to his lips: though so lightly that the wearer knew nothing of it. thus, fascination fledgeby went his way,exulting in the artful cleverness with which he had turned his thumb down on ajew, and the old man went his different way

up-stairs. as he mounted, the call or song began tosound in his ears again, and, looking above, he saw the face of the littlecreature looking down out of a glory of her long bright radiant hair, and musicallyrepeating to him, like a vision: 'come up and be dead!come up and be dead!' > our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 6 a riddle without an answer again mr mortimer lightwood and mr eugenewrayburn sat together in the temple.

this evening, however, they were nottogether in the place of business of the eminent solicitor, but in another dismalset of chambers facing it on the same second-floor; on whose dungeon-like blackouter-door appeared the legend: privatemr eugene wrayburn mr mortimer lightwood (mr lightwood's offices opposite.)appearances indicated that this establishment was a very recentinstitution. the white letters of the inscription wereextremely white and extremely strong to the sense of smell, the complexion of thetables and chairs was (like lady tippins's)

a little too blooming to be believed in, and the carpets and floorcloth seemed torush at the beholder's face in the unusual prominency of their patterns. but the temple, accustomed to tone downboth the still life and the human life that has much to do with it, would soon get thebetter of all that. 'well!' said eugene, on one side of thefire, 'i feel tolerably comfortable. i hope the upholsterer may do the same.''why shouldn't he?' asked lightwood, from the other side of the fire. 'to be sure,' pursued eugene, reflecting,'he is not in the secret of our pecuniary

affairs, so perhaps he may be in an easyframe of mind.' 'we shall pay him,' said mortimer. 'shall we, really?' returned eugene,indolently surprised. 'you don't say so!''i mean to pay him, eugene, for my part,' said mortimer, in a slightly injured tone. 'ah! i mean to pay him too,' retortedeugene. 'but then i mean so much that i--that idon't mean.' 'don't mean?' 'so much that i only mean and shall alwaysonly mean and nothing more, my dear

mortimer.it's the same thing.' his friend, lying back in his easy chair,watched him lying back in his easy chair, as he stretched out his legs on the hearth-rug, and said, with the amused look that eugene wrayburn could always awaken in himwithout seeming to try or care: 'anyhow, your vagaries have increased thebill.' 'calls the domestic virtues vagaries!'exclaimed eugene, raising his eyes to the ceiling. 'this very complete little kitchen ofours,' said mortimer, 'in which nothing will ever be cooked--'

'my dear, dear mortimer,' returned hisfriend, lazily lifting his head a little to look at him, 'how often have i pointed outto you that its moral influence is the important thing?' 'its moral influence on this fellow!'exclaimed lightwood, laughing. 'do me the favour,' said eugene, gettingout of his chair with much gravity, 'to come and inspect that feature of ourestablishment which you rashly disparage.' with that, taking up a candle, he conductedhis chum into the fourth room of the set of chambers--a little narrow room--which wasvery completely and neatly fitted as a kitchen.

'see!' said eugene, 'miniature flour-barrel, rolling-pin, spice-box, shelf of brown jars, chopping-board, coffee-mill,dresser elegantly furnished with crockery, saucepans and pans, roasting jack, acharming kettle, an armoury of dish-covers. the moral influence of these objects, informing the domestic virtues, may have an immense influence upon me; not upon you,for you are a hopeless case, but upon me. in fact, i have an idea that i feel thedomestic virtues already forming. do me the favour to step into my bedroom. secretaire, you see, and abstruse set ofsolid mahogany pigeon-holes, one for every letter of the alphabet.to what use do i devote them?

i receive a bill--say from jones. i docket it neatly at the secretaire,jones, and i put it into pigeonhole j. it's the next thing to a receipt and isquite as satisfactory to me. and i very much wish, mortimer,' sitting onhis bed, with the air of a philosopher lecturing a disciple, 'that my examplemight induce you to cultivate habits of punctuality and method; and, by means of the moral influences with which i havesurrounded you, to encourage the formation of the domestic virtues.' mortimer laughed again, with his usualcommentaries of 'how can you be so

ridiculous, eugene!' and 'what an absurdfellow you are!' but when his laugh was out, there was something serious, if notanxious, in his face. despite that pernicious assumption oflassitude and indifference, which had become his second nature, he was stronglyattached to his friend. he had founded himself upon eugene whenthey were yet boys at school; and at this hour imitated him no less, admired him noless, loved him no less, than in those departed days. 'eugene,' said he, 'if i could find you inearnest for a minute, i would try to say an earnest word to you.''an earnest word?' repeated eugene.

'the moral influences are beginning towork. say on.''well, i will,' returned the other, 'though you are not earnest yet.' 'in this desire for earnestness,' murmuredeugene, with the air of one who was meditating deeply, 'i trace the happyinfluences of the little flour-barrel and the coffee-mill. gratifying.' 'eugene,' resumed mortimer, disregardingthe light interruption, and laying a hand upon eugene's shoulder, as he, mortimer,stood before him seated on his bed, 'you

are withholding something from me.' eugene looked at him, but said nothing.'all this past summer, you have been withholding something from me. before we entered on our boating vacation,you were as bent upon it as i have seen you upon anything since we first rowedtogether. but you cared very little for it when itcame, often found it a tie and a drag upon you, and were constantly away. now it was well enough half-a-dozen times,a dozen times, twenty times, to say to me in your own odd manner, which i know sowell and like so much, that your

disappearances were precautions against our boring one another; but of course after ashort while i began to know that they covered something.i don't ask what it is, as you have not told me; but the fact is so. say, is it not?''i give you my word of honour, mortimer,' returned eugene, after a serious pause of afew moments, 'that i don't know.' 'don't know, eugene?' 'upon my soul, don't know.i know less about myself than about most people in the world, and i don't know.''you have some design in your mind?'

'have i? i don't think i have.''at any rate, you have some subject of interest there which used not to be there?' 'i really can't say,' replied eugene,shaking his head blankly, after pausing again to reconsider.'at times i have thought yes; at other times i have thought no. now, i have been inclined to pursue such asubject; now i have felt that it was absurd, and that it tired and embarrassedme. absolutely, i can't say.

frankly and faithfully, i would if icould.' so replying, he clapped a hand, in histurn, on his friend's shoulder, as he rose from his seat upon the bed, and said: 'you must take your friend as he is.you know what i am, my dear mortimer. you know how dreadfully susceptible i am toboredom. you know that when i became enough of a manto find myself an embodied conundrum, i bored myself to the last degree by tryingto find out what i meant. you know that at length i gave it up, anddeclined to guess any more. then how can i possibly give you the answerthat i have not discovered?

the old nursery form runs, "riddle-me-riddle-me-ree, p'raps you can't tell me what this may be?"my reply runs, "no. upon my life, i can't."' so much of what was fantastically true tohis own knowledge of this utterly careless eugene, mingled with the answer, thatmortimer could not receive it as a mere evasion. besides, it was given with an engaging airof openness, and of special exemption of the one friend he valued, from his recklessindifference. 'come, dear boy!' said eugene.

'let us try the effect of smoking.if it enlightens me at all on this question, i will impart unreservedly.' they returned to the room they had comefrom, and, finding it heated, opened a window. having lighted their cigars, they leanedout of this window, smoking, and looking down at the moonlight, as it shone into thecourt below. 'no enlightenment,' resumed eugene, aftercertain minutes of silence. 'i feel sincerely apologetic, my dearmortimer, but nothing comes.' 'if nothing comes,' returned mortimer,'nothing can come from it.

so i shall hope that this may hold goodthroughout, and that there may be nothing on foot. nothing injurious to you, eugene, or--' eugene stayed him for a moment with hishand on his arm, while he took a piece of earth from an old flowerpot on the window-sill and dexterously shot it at a little point of light opposite; having done whichto his satisfaction, he said, 'or?' 'or injurious to any one else.' 'how,' said eugene, taking another littlepiece of earth, and shooting it with great precision at the former mark, 'howinjurious to any one else?'

'i don't know.' 'and,' said eugene, taking, as he said theword, another shot, 'to whom else?' checking himself with another piece ofearth in his hand, eugene looked at his friend inquiringly and a littlesuspiciously. there was no concealed or half-expressedmeaning in his face. 'two belated wanderers in the mazes of thelaw,' said eugene, attracted by the sound of footsteps, and glancing down as hespoke, 'stray into the court. they examine the door-posts of number one,seeking the name they want. not finding it at number one, they come tonumber two.

on the hat of wanderer number two, theshorter one, i drop this pellet. hitting him on the hat, i smoke serenely,and become absorbed in contemplation of the sky.' both the wanderers looked up towards thewindow; but, after interchanging a mutter or two, soon applied themselves to thedoor-posts below. there they seemed to discover what theywanted, for they disappeared from view by entering at the doorway. 'when they emerge,' said eugene, 'you shallsee me bring them both down'; and so prepared two pellets for the purpose.he had not reckoned on their seeking his

name, or lightwood's. but either the one or the other would seemto be in question, for now there came a knock at the door.'i am on duty to-night,' said mortimer, 'stay you where you are, eugene.' requiring no persuasion, he stayed there,smoking quietly, and not at all curious to know who knocked, until mortimer spoke tohim from within the room, and touched him. then, drawing in his head, he found thevisitors to be young charley hexam and the schoolmaster; both standing facing him, andboth recognized at a glance. 'you recollect this young fellow, eugene?'said mortimer.

'let me look at him,' returned wrayburn,coolly. 'oh, yes, yes. i recollect him!'he had not been about to repeat that former action of taking him by the chin, but theboy had suspected him of it, and had thrown up his arm with an angry start. laughingly, wrayburn looked to lightwoodfor an explanation of this odd visit. 'he says he has something to say.''surely it must be to you, mortimer.' 'so i thought, but he says no. he says it is to you.''yes, i do say so,' interposed the boy.

'and i mean to say what i want to say, too,mr eugene wrayburn!' passing him with his eyes as if there werenothing where he stood, eugene looked on to bradley headstone. with consummate indolence, he turned tomortimer, inquiring: 'and who may this other person be?' 'i am charles hexam's friend,' saidbradley; 'i am charles hexam's schoolmaster.''my good sir, you should teach your pupils better manners,' returned eugene. composedly smoking, he leaned an elbow onthe chimneypiece, at the side of the fire,

and looked at the schoolmaster.it was a cruel look, in its cold disdain of him, as a creature of no worth. the schoolmaster looked at him, and that,too, was a cruel look, though of the different kind, that it had a ragingjealousy and fiery wrath in it. very remarkably, neither eugene wrayburnnor bradley headstone looked at all at the boy. through the ensuing dialogue, those two, nomatter who spoke, or whom was addressed, looked at each other. there was some secret, sure perceptionbetween them, which set them against one

another in all ways. 'in some high respects, mr eugenewrayburn,' said bradley, answering him with pale and quivering lips, 'the naturalfeelings of my pupils are stronger than my teaching.' 'in most respects, i dare say,' repliedeugene, enjoying his cigar, 'though whether high or low is of no importance.you have my name very correctly. pray what is yours?' 'it cannot concern you much to know, but--''true,' interposed eugene, striking sharply and cutting him short at his mistake, 'itdoes not concern me at all to know.

i can say schoolmaster, which is a mostrespectable title. you are right, schoolmaster.' it was not the dullest part of this goad inits galling of bradley headstone, that he had made it himself in a moment ofincautious anger. he tried to set his lips so as to preventtheir quivering, but they quivered fast. 'mr eugene wrayburn,' said the boy, 'i wanta word with you. i have wanted it so much, that we havelooked out your address in the book, and we have been to your office, and we have comefrom your office here.' 'you have given yourself much trouble,schoolmaster,' observed eugene, blowing the

feathery ash from his cigar.'i hope it may prove remunerative.' 'and i am glad to speak,' pursued the boy,'in presence of mr lightwood, because it was through mr lightwood that you ever sawmy sister.' for a mere moment, wrayburn turned his eyesaside from the schoolmaster to note the effect of the last word on mortimer, who,standing on the opposite side of the fire, as soon as the word was spoken, turned his face towards the fire and looked down intoit. 'similarly, it was through mr lightwoodthat you ever saw her again, for you were with him on the night when my father wasfound, and so i found you with her on the

next day. since then, you have seen my sister often.you have seen my sister oftener and oftener.and i want to know why?' 'was this worth while, schoolmaster?'murmured eugene, with the air of a disinterested adviser.'so much trouble for nothing? you should know best, but i think not.' 'i don't know, mr wrayburn,' answeredbradley, with his passion rising, 'why you address me--''don't you? said eugene. 'then i won't.'

he said it so tauntingly in his perfectplacidity, that the respectable right-hand clutching the respectable hair-guard of therespectable watch could have wound it round his throat and strangled him with it. not another word did eugene deem it worthwhile to utter, but stood leaning his head upon his hand, smoking, and lookingimperturbably at the chafing bradley headstone with his clutching right-hand,until bradley was wellnigh mad. 'mr wrayburn,' proceeded the boy, 'we notonly know this that i have charged upon you, but we know more. it has not yet come to my sister'sknowledge that we have found it out, but we

have. we had a plan, mr headstone and i, for mysister's education, and for its being advised and overlooked by mr headstone, whois a much more competent authority, whatever you may pretend to think, as you smoke, than you could produce, if youtried. then, what do we find?what do we find, mr lightwood? why, we find that my sister is alreadybeing taught, without our knowing it. we find that while my sister gives anunwilling and cold ear to our schemes for her advantage--i, her brother, and mrheadstone, the most competent authority, as

his certificates would easily prove, that could be produced--she is wilfully andwillingly profiting by other schemes. ay, and taking pains, too, for i know whatsuch pains are. and so does mr headstone! well!somebody pays for this, is a thought that naturally occurs to us; who pays? we apply ourselves to find out, mrlightwood, and we find that your friend, this mr eugene wrayburn, here, pays. then i ask him what right has he to do it,and what does he mean by it, and how comes

he to be taking such a liberty without myconsent, when i am raising myself in the scale of society by my own exertions and mr headstone's aid, and have no right to haveany darkness cast upon my prospects, or any imputation upon my respectability, throughmy sister?' the boyish weakness of this speech,combined with its great selfishness, made it a poor one indeed. and yet bradley headstone, used to thelittle audience of a school, and unused to the larger ways of men, showed a kind ofexultation in it. 'now i tell mr eugene wrayburn,' pursuedthe boy, forced into the use of the third

person by the hopelessness of addressinghim in the first, 'that i object to his having any acquaintance at all with my sister, and that i request him to drop italtogether. he is not to take it into his head that iam afraid of my sister's caring for him--' (as the boy sneered, the master sneered,and eugene blew off the feathery ash again.)--'but i object to it, and that's enough. i am more important to my sister than hethinks. as i raise myself, i intend to raise her;she knows that, and she has to look to me for her prospects.

now i understand all this very well, and sodoes mr headstone. my sister is an excellent girl, but she hassome romantic notions; not about such things as your mr eugene wrayburns, butabout the death of my father and other matters of that sort. mr wrayburn encourages those notions tomake himself of importance, and so she thinks she ought to be grateful to him, andperhaps even likes to be. now i don't choose her to be grateful tohim, or to be grateful to anybody but me, except mr headstone. and i tell mr wrayburn that if he don'ttake heed of what i say, it will be worse

for her.let him turn that over in his memory, and make sure of it. worse for her!'a pause ensued, in which the schoolmaster looked very awkward. 'may i suggest, schoolmaster,' said eugene,removing his fast-waning cigar from his lips to glance at it, 'that you can nowtake your pupil away.' 'and mr lightwood,' added the boy, with aburning face, under the flaming aggravation of getting no sort of answer or attention,'i hope you'll take notice of what i have said to your friend, and of what your

friend has heard me say, word by word,whatever he pretends to the contrary. you are bound to take notice of it, mrlightwood, for, as i have already mentioned, you first brought your friendinto my sister's company, and but for you we never should have seen him. lord knows none of us ever wanted him, anymore than any of us will ever miss him. now mr headstone, as mr eugene wrayburn hasbeen obliged to hear what i had to say, and couldn't help himself, and as i have saidit out to the last word, we have done all we wanted to do, and may go.' 'go down-stairs, and leave me a moment,hexam,' he returned.

the boy complying with an indignant lookand as much noise as he could make, swung out of the room; and lightwood went to thewindow, and leaned there, looking out. 'you think me of no more value than thedirt under your feet,' said bradley to eugene, speaking in a carefully weighed andmeasured tone, or he could not have spoken at all. 'i assure you, schoolmaster,' repliedeugene, 'i don't think about you.' 'that's not true,' returned the other; 'youknow better.' 'that's coarse,' eugene retorted; 'but youdon't know better.' 'mr wrayburn, at least i know very wellthat it would be idle to set myself against

you in insolent words or overbearingmanners. that lad who has just gone out could putyou to shame in half-a-dozen branches of knowledge in half an hour, but you canthrow him aside like an inferior. you can do as much by me, i have no doubt,beforehand.' 'possibly,' remarked eugene. 'but i am more than a lad,' said bradley,with his clutching hand, 'and i will be heard, sir.''as a schoolmaster,' said eugene, 'you are always being heard. that ought to content you.''but it does not content me,' replied the

other, white with passion. 'do you suppose that a man, in forminghimself for the duties i discharge, and in watching and repressing himself daily todischarge them well, dismisses a man's nature?' 'i suppose you,' said eugene, 'judging fromwhat i see as i look at you, to be rather too passionate for a good schoolmaster.'as he spoke, he tossed away the end of his cigar. 'passionate with you, sir, i admit i am.passionate with you, sir, i respect myself for being.but i have not devils for my pupils.'

'for your teachers, i should rather say,'replied eugene. 'mr wrayburn.''schoolmaster.' 'sir, my name is bradley headstone.' 'as you justly said, my good sir, your namecannot concern me. now, what more?''this more. oh, what a misfortune is mine,' criedbradley, breaking off to wipe the starting perspiration from his face as he shook fromhead to foot, 'that i cannot so control myself as to appear a stronger creature than this, when a man who has not felt inall his life what i have felt in a day can

so command himself!' he said it in a very agony, and evenfollowed it with an errant motion of his hands as if he could have torn himself. eugene wrayburn looked on at him, as if hefound him beginning to be rather an entertaining study.'mr wrayburn, i desire to say something to you on my own part.' 'come, come, schoolmaster,' returnedeugene, with a languid approach to impatience as the other again struggledwith himself; 'say what you have to say. and let me remind you that the door isstanding open, and your young friend

waiting for you on the stairs.' 'when i accompanied that youth here, sir, idid so with the purpose of adding, as a man whom you should not be permitted to putaside, in case you put him aside as a boy, that his instinct is correct and right.' thus bradley headstone, with great effortand difficulty. 'is that all?' asked eugene.'no, sir,' said the other, flushed and fierce. 'i strongly support him in his disapprovalof your visits to his sister, and in his objection to your officiousness--and worse--in what you have taken upon yourself to do

for her.' 'is that all?' asked eugene.'no, sir. i determined to tell you that you are notjustified in these proceedings, and that they are injurious to his sister.' 'are you her schoolmaster as well as herbrother's?--or perhaps you would like to be?' said eugene. it was a stab that the blood followed, inits rush to bradley headstone's face, as swiftly as if it had been dealt with adagger. 'what do you mean by that?' was as much ashe could utter.

'a natural ambition enough,' said eugene,coolly. far be it from me to say otherwise. the sister who is something too much uponyour lips, perhaps--is so very different from all the associations to which she hadbeen used, and from all the low obscure people about her, that it is a very naturalambition.' 'do you throw my obscurity in my teeth, mrwrayburn?' 'that can hardly be, for i know nothingconcerning it, schoolmaster, and seek to know nothing.' 'you reproach me with my origin,' saidbradley headstone; 'you cast insinuations

at my bringing-up. but i tell you, sir, i have worked my wayonward, out of both and in spite of both, and have a right to be considered a betterman than you, with better reasons for being proud.' 'how i can reproach you with what is notwithin my knowledge, or how i can cast stones that were never in my hand, is aproblem for the ingenuity of a schoolmaster to prove,' returned eugene. 'is that all?''no, sir. if you suppose that boy--''who really will be tired of waiting,' said

eugene, politely. 'if you suppose that boy to be friendless,mr wrayburn, you deceive yourself. i am his friend, and you shall find me so.''and you will find him on the stairs,' remarked eugene. 'you may have promised yourself, sir, thatyou could do what you chose here, because you had to deal with a mere boy,inexperienced, friendless, and unassisted. but i give you warning that this meancalculation is wrong. you have to do with a man also.you have to do with me. i will support him, and, if need be,require reparation for him.

my hand and heart are in this cause, andare open to him.' 'and--quite a coincidence--the door isopen,' remarked eugene. 'i scorn your shifty evasions, and i scornyou,' said the schoolmaster. 'in the meanness of your nature you revileme with the meanness of my birth. i hold you in contempt for it. but if you don't profit by this visit, andact accordingly, you will find me as bitterly in earnest against you as i couldbe if i deemed you worth a second thought on my own account.' with a consciously bad grace and stiffmanner, as wrayburn looked so easily and

calmly on, he went out with these words,and the heavy door closed like a furnace- door upon his red and white heats of rage. 'a curious monomaniac,' said eugene.'the man seems to believe that everybody was acquainted with his mother!' mortimer lightwood being still at thewindow, to which he had in delicacy withdrawn, eugene called to him, and hefell to slowly pacing the room. 'my dear fellow,' said eugene, as helighted another cigar, 'i fear my unexpected visitors have been troublesome. if as a set-off (excuse the legal phrasefrom a barrister-at-law) you would like to

ask tippins to tea, i pledge myself to makelove to her.' 'eugene, eugene, eugene,' replied mortimer,still pacing the room, 'i am sorry for this.and to think that i have been so blind!' 'how blind, dear boy?' inquired his unmovedfriend. 'what were your words that night at theriver-side public-house?' said lightwood, stopping. 'what was it that you asked me?did i feel like a dark combination of traitor and pickpocket when i thought ofthat girl?' 'i seem to remember the expression,' saideugene.

'how do you feel when you think of her justnow?' his friend made no direct reply, butobserved, after a few whiffs of his cigar, 'don't mistake the situation.there is no better girl in all this london than lizzie hexam. there is no better among my people at home;no better among your people.' 'granted.what follows?' 'there,' said eugene, looking after himdubiously as he paced away to the other end of the room, 'you put me again uponguessing the riddle that i have given up.' 'eugene, do you design to capture anddesert this girl?'

'my dear fellow, no.''do you design to marry her?' 'my dear fellow, no.' 'do you design to pursue her?''my dear fellow, i don't design anything. i have no design whatever.i am incapable of designs. if i conceived a design, i should speedilyabandon it, exhausted by the operation.' 'oh eugene, eugene!''my dear mortimer, not that tone of melancholy reproach, i entreat. what can i do more than tell you all iknow, and acknowledge my ignorance of all i don't know!

how does that little old song go, which,under pretence of being cheerful, is by far the most lugubrious i ever heard in mylife? "away with melancholy, nor dolefulchanges ring on life and human folly, but merrily merrily singfal la!" don't let us sing fal la, my dear mortimer(which is comparatively unmeaning), but let us sing that we give up guessing the riddlealtogether.' 'are you in communication with this girl,eugene, and is what these people say true?' 'i concede both admissions to my honourableand learned friend.' 'then what is to come of it?

what are you doing?where are you going?' 'my dear mortimer, one would think theschoolmaster had left behind him a catechizing infection. you are ruffled by the want of anothercigar. take one of these, i entreat.light it at mine, which is in perfect order. so! now do me the justice to observe that iam doing all i can towards self- improvement, and that you have a lightthrown on those household implements which, when you only saw them as in a glass

darkly, you were hastily--i must sayhastily--inclined to depreciate. sensible of my deficiencies, i havesurrounded myself with moral influences expressly meant to promote the formation ofthe domestic virtues. to those influences, and to the improvingsociety of my friend from boyhood, commend me with your best wishes.' 'ah, eugene!' said lightwood,affectionately, now standing near him, so that they both stood in one little cloud ofsmoke; 'i would that you answered my three questions! what is to come of it?what are you doing?

where are you going?' 'and my dear mortimer,' returned eugene,lightly fanning away the smoke with his hand for the better exposition of hisfrankness of face and manner, 'believe me, i would answer them instantly if i could. but to enable me to do so, i must firsthave found out the troublesome conundrum long abandoned.here it is. eugene wrayburn.' tapping his forehead and breast.'riddle-me, riddle-me-ree, perhaps you can't tell me what this may be?--no, uponmy life i can't.

i give it up!' our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 7 in which a friendly move is originated the arrangement between mr boffin and hisliterary man, mr silas wegg, so far altered with the altered habits of mr boffin'slife, as that the roman empire usually declined in the morning and in the eminently aristocratic family mansion,rather than in the evening, as of yore, and in boffin's bower. there were occasions, however, when mrboffin, seeking a brief refuge from the

blandishments of fashion, would presenthimself at the bower after dark, to anticipate the next sallying forth of wegg, and would there, on the old settle, pursuethe downward fortunes of those enervated and corrupted masters of the world who wereby this time on their last legs. if wegg had been worse paid for his office,or better qualified to discharge it, he would have considered these visitscomplimentary and agreeable; but, holding the position of a handsomely-remuneratedhumbug, he resented them. this was quite according to rule, for theincompetent servant, by whomsoever employed, is always against his employer.

even those born governors, noble and righthonourable creatures, who have been the most imbecile in high places, haveuniformly shown themselves the most opposed (sometimes in belying distrust, sometimesin vapid insolence) to their employer. what is in such wise true of the publicmaster and servant, is equally true of the private master and servant all the worldover. when mr silas wegg did at last obtain freeaccess to 'our house', as he had been wont to call the mansion outside which he hadsat shelterless so long, and when he did at last find it in all particulars as different from his mental plans of it asaccording to the nature of things it well

could be, that far-seeing and far-reachingcharacter, by way of asserting himself and making out a case for compensation, affected to fall into a melancholy strainof musing over the mournful past; as if the house and he had had a fall in lifetogether. 'and this, sir,' silas would say to hispatron, sadly nodding his head and musing, 'was once our house! this, sir, is the building from which ihave so often seen those great creatures, miss elizabeth, master george, aunt jane,and uncle parker'--whose very names were of his own inventing--'pass and repass!

and has it come to this, indeed!ah dear me, dear me!' so tender were his lamentations, that thekindly mr boffin was quite sorry for him, and almost felt mistrustful that in buyingthe house he had done him an irreparable injury. two or three diplomatic interviews, theresult of great subtlety on mr wegg's part, but assuming the mask of careless yieldingto a fortuitous combination of circumstances impelling him towards clerkenwell, had enabled him to completehis bargain with mr venus. 'bring me round to the bower,' said silas,when the bargain was closed, 'next saturday

evening, and if a sociable glass of oldjamaikey warm should meet your views, i am not the man to begrudge it.' 'you are aware of my being poor company,sir,' replied mr venus, 'but be it so.' it being so, here is saturday evening come,and here is mr venus come, and ringing at the bower-gate. mr wegg opens the gate, descries a sort ofbrown paper truncheon under mr venus's arm, and remarks, in a dry tone: 'oh! i thoughtperhaps you might have come in a cab.' 'no, mr wegg,' replies venus. 'i am not above a parcel.''above a parcel!

no!' says wegg, with some dissatisfaction.but does not openly growl, 'a certain sort of parcel might be above you.' 'here is your purchase, mr wegg,' saysvenus, politely handing it over, 'and i am glad to restore it to the source fromwhence it--flowed.' 'thankee,' says wegg. 'now this affair is concluded, i maymention to you in a friendly way that i've my doubts whether, if i had consulted alawyer, you could have kept this article back from me. i only throw it out as a legal point.''do you think so, mr wegg?

i bought you in open contract.' 'you can't buy human flesh and blood inthis country, sir; not alive, you can't,' says wegg, shaking his head.'then query, bone?' 'as a legal point?' asks venus. 'as a legal point.' 'i am not competent to speak upon that, mrwegg,' says venus, reddening and growing something louder; 'but upon a point of facti think myself competent to speak; and as a point of fact i would have seen you--willyou allow me to say, further?' 'i wouldn't say more than further, if i wasyou,' mr wegg suggests, pacifically.

--'before i'd have given that packet intoyour hand without being paid my price for it. i don't pretend to know how the point oflaw may stand, but i'm thoroughly confident upon the point of fact.' as mr venus is irritable (no doubt owing tohis disappointment in love), and as it is not the cue of mr wegg to have him out oftemper, the latter gentleman soothingly remarks, 'i only put it as a little case; ionly put it ha'porthetically.' 'then i'd rather, mr wegg, you put itanother time, penn'orth-etically,' is mr venus's retort, 'for i tell you candidly idon't like your little cases.'

arrived by this time in mr wegg's sitting-room, made bright on the chilly evening by gaslight and fire, mr venus softens andcompliments him on his abode; profiting by the occasion to remind wegg that he (venus)told him he had got into a good thing. 'tolerable,' wegg rejoins.'but bear in mind, mr venus, that there's no gold without its alloy. mix for yourself and take a seat in thechimbley-corner. will you perform upon a pipe, sir?' 'i am but an indifferent performer, sir,'returns the other; 'but i'll accompany you with a whiff or two at intervals.'

so, mr venus mixes, and wegg mixes; and mrvenus lights and puffs, and wegg lights and puffs.'and there's alloy even in this metal of yours, mr wegg, you was remarking?' 'mystery,' returns wegg.'i don't like it, mr venus. i don't like to have the life knocked outof former inhabitants of this house, in the gloomy dark, and not know who did it.' 'might you have any suspicions, mr wegg?''no,' returns that gentleman. 'i know who profits by it.but i've no suspicions.' having said which, mr wegg smokes and looksat the fire with a most determined

expression of charity; as if he had caughtthat cardinal virtue by the skirts as she felt it her painful duty to depart fromhim, and held her by main force. 'similarly,' resumes wegg, 'i haveobservations as i can offer upon certain points and parties; but i make noobjections, mr venus. here is an immense fortune drops from theclouds upon a person that shall be nameless. here is a weekly allowance, with a certainweight of coals, drops from the clouds upon me.which of us is the better man? not the person that shall be nameless.

that's an observation of mine, but i don'tmake it an objection. i take my allowance and my certain weightof coals. he takes his fortune. that's the way it works.''it would be a good thing for me, if i could see things in the calm light you do,mr wegg.' 'again look here,' pursues silas, with anoratorical flourish of his pipe and his wooden leg: the latter having anundignified tendency to tilt him back in his chair; 'here's another observation, mrvenus, unaccompanied with an objection. him that shall be nameless is liable to betalked over.

he gets talked over. him that shall be nameless, having me athis right hand, naturally looking to be promoted higher, and you may perhaps saymeriting to be promoted higher--' (mr venus murmurs that he does say so.) '--him that shall be nameless, under suchcircumstances passes me by, and puts a talking-over stranger above my head.which of us two is the better man? which of us two can repeat most poetry? which of us two has, in the service of himthat shall be nameless, tackled the romans, both civil and military, till he has got ashusky as if he'd been weaned and ever since

brought up on sawdust? not the talking-over stranger.yet the house is as free to him as if it was his, and he has his room, and is putupon a footing, and draws about a thousand a year. i am banished to the bower, to be found init like a piece of furniture whenever wanted.merit, therefore, don't win. that's the way it works. i observe it, because i can't helpobserving it, being accustomed to take a powerful sight of notice; but i don'tobject.

ever here before, mr venus?' 'not inside the gate, mr wegg.''you've been as far as the gate then, mr venus?''yes, mr wegg, and peeped in from curiosity.' 'did you see anything?''nothing but the dust-yard.' mr wegg rolls his eyes all round the room,in that ever unsatisfied quest of his, and then rolls his eyes all round mr venus; asif suspicious of his having something about him to be found out. 'and yet, sir,' he pursues, 'beingacquainted with old mr harmon, one would

have thought it might have been polite inyou, too, to give him a call. and you're naturally of a politedisposition, you are.' this last clause as a softening complimentto mr venus. 'it is true, sir,' replies venus, winkinghis weak eyes, and running his fingers through his dusty shock of hair, 'that iwas so, before a certain observation soured me. you understand to what i allude, mr wegg?to a certain written statement respecting not wishing to be regarded in a certainlight. since that, all is fled, save gall.'

'not all,' says mr wegg, in a tone ofsentimental condolence. 'yes, sir,' returns venus, 'all!the world may deem it harsh, but i'd quite as soon pitch into my best friend as not. indeed, i'd sooner!' involuntarily making a pass with his woodenleg to guard himself as mr venus springs up in the emphasis of this unsociabledeclaration, mr wegg tilts over on his back, chair and all, and is rescued by that harmless misanthrope, in a disjointed stateand ruefully rubbing his head. 'why, you lost your balance, mr wegg,' saysvenus, handing him his pipe.

'and about time to do it,' grumbles silas,'when a man's visitors, without a word of notice, conduct themselves with the suddenwiciousness of jacks-in-boxes! don't come flying out of your chair likethat, mr venus!' 'i ask your pardon, mr wegg.i am so soured.' 'yes, but hang it,' says weggargumentatively, 'a well-governed mind can be soured sitting!and as to being regarded in lights, there's bumpey lights as well as bony. in which,' again rubbing his head, 'iobject to regard myself.' 'i'll bear it in memory, sir.''if you'll be so good.'

mr wegg slowly subdues his ironical toneand his lingering irritation, and resumes his pipe.'we were talking of old mr harmon being a friend of yours.' 'not a friend, mr wegg.only known to speak to, and to have a little deal with now and then.a very inquisitive character, mr wegg, regarding what was found in the dust. as inquisitive as secret.''ah! you found him secret?' returns wegg, with a greedy relish.'he had always the look of it, and the manner of it.'

'ah!' with another roll of his eyes.'as to what was found in the dust now. did you ever hear him mention how he foundit, my dear friend? living on the mysterious premises, onewould like to know. for instance, where he found things?or, for instance, how he set about it? whether he began at the top of the mounds,or whether he began at the bottom. whether he prodded'; mr wegg's pantomime isskilful and expressive here; 'or whether he scooped? should you say scooped, my dear mr venus;or should you as a man--say prodded?' 'i should say neither, mr wegg.''as a fellow-man, mr venus--mix again--why

neither?' 'because i suppose, sir, that what wasfound, was found in the sorting and sifting.all the mounds are sorted and sifted?' 'you shall see 'em and pass your opinion. mix again.' on each occasion of his saying 'mix again',mr wegg, with a hop on his wooden leg, hitches his chair a little nearer; more asif he were proposing that himself and mr venus should mix again, than that theyshould replenish their glasses. 'living (as i said before) on themysterious premises,' says wegg when the

other has acted on his hospitable entreaty,'one likes to know. would you be inclined to say now--as abrother--that he ever hid things in the dust, as well as found 'em?''mr wegg, on the whole i should say he might.' mr wegg claps on his spectacles, andadmiringly surveys mr venus from head to foot. 'as a mortal equally with myself, whosehand i take in mine for the first time this day, having unaccountably overlooked thatact so full of boundless confidence binding a fellow-creetur to a fellow creetur,' says

wegg, holding mr venus's palm out, flat andready for smiting, and now smiting it; 'as such--and no other--for i scorn all lowlierties betwixt myself and the man walking with his face erect that alone i call my twin--regarded and regarding in thistrustful bond--what do you think he might have hid?''it is but a supposition, mr wegg.' 'as a being with his hand upon his heart,'cries wegg; and the apostrophe is not the less impressive for the being's hand beingactually upon his rum and water; 'put your supposition into language, and bring itout, mr venus!' 'he was the species of old gentleman, sir,'slowly returns that practical anatomist,

after drinking, 'that i should judge likelyto take such opportunities as this place offered, of stowing away money, valuables,maybe papers.' 'as one that was ever an ornament to humanlife,' says mr wegg, again holding out mr venus's palm as if he were going to tellhis fortune by chiromancy, and holding his own up ready for smiting it when the time should come; 'as one that the poet mighthave had his eye on, in writing the national naval words: helm a-weather, now lay her close,yardarm and yard arm she lies;again, cried i, mr venus, give her t'otherdose,man shrouds and grapple, sir, or

she flies! --that is to say, regarded in the light oftrue british oak, for such you are explain, mr venus, the expression "papers"!' 'seeing that the old gentleman wasgenerally cutting off some near relation, or blocking out some natural affection,' mrvenus rejoins, 'he most likely made a good many wills and codicils.' the palm of silas wegg descends with asounding smack upon the palm of venus, and wegg lavishly exclaims, 'twin in opinionequally with feeling! mix a little more!'

having now hitched his wooden leg and hischair close in front of mr venus, mr wegg rapidly mixes for both, gives his visitorhis glass, touches its rim with the rim of his own, puts his own to his lips, puts it down, and spreading his hands on hisvisitor's knees thus addresses him: 'mr venus. it ain't that i object to being passed overfor a stranger, though i regard the stranger as a more than doubtful customer.it ain't for the sake of making money, though money is ever welcome. it ain't for myself, though i am not sohaughty as to be above doing myself a good

turn.it's for the cause of the right.' mr venus, passively winking his weak eyesboth at once, demands: 'what is, mr wegg?' 'the friendly move, sir, that i nowpropose. you see the move, sir?' 'till you have pointed it out, mr wegg, ican't say whether i do or not.' 'if there is anything to be found on thesepremises, let us find it together. let us make the friendly move of agreeingto look for it together. let us make the friendly move of agreeingto share the profits of it equally betwixt us.

in the cause of the right.'thus silas assuming a noble air. 'then,' says mr venus, looking up, aftermeditating with his hair held in his hands, as if he could only fix his attention byfixing his head; 'if anything was to be unburied from under the dust, it would bekept a secret by you and me? would that be it, mr wegg?''that would depend upon what it was, mr venus. say it was money, or plate, or jewellery,it would be as much ours as anybody else's.'mr venus rubs an eyebrow, interrogatively. 'in the cause of the right it would.

because it would be unknowingly sold withthe mounds else, and the buyer would get what he was never meant to have, and neverbought. and what would that be, mr venus, but thecause of the wrong?' 'say it was papers,' mr venus propounds. 'according to what they contained we shouldoffer to dispose of 'em to the parties most interested,' replies wegg, promptly.'in the cause of the right, mr wegg?' 'always so, mr venus. if the parties should use them in the causeof the wrong, that would be their act and deed.mr venus.

i have an opinion of you, sir, to which itis not easy to give mouth. since i called upon you that evening whenyou were, as i may say, floating your powerful mind in tea, i have felt that yourequired to be roused with an object. in this friendly move, sir, you will have aglorious object to rouse you.' mr wegg then goes on to enlarge upon whatthroughout has been uppermost in his crafty mind:--the qualifications of mr venus forsuch a search. he expatiates on mr venus's patient habitsand delicate manipulation; on his skill in piecing little things together; on hisknowledge of various tissues and textures; on the likelihood of small indications

leading him on to the discovery of greatconcealments. 'while as to myself,' says wegg, 'i am notgood at it. whether i gave myself up to prodding, orwhether i gave myself up to scooping, i couldn't do it with that delicate touch soas not to show that i was disturbing the mounds. quite different with you, going to work (asyou would) in the light of a fellow-man, holily pledged in a friendly move to hisbrother man.' mr wegg next modestly remarks on the wantof adaptation in a wooden leg to ladders and such like airy perches, and also hintsat an inherent tendency in that timber

fiction, when called into action for the purposes of a promenade on an ashey slope,to stick itself into the yielding foothold, and peg its owner to one spot. then, leaving this part of the subject, heremarks on the special phenomenon that before his installation in the bower, itwas from mr venus that he first heard of the legend of hidden wealth in the mounds: 'which', he observes with a vaguely piousair, 'was surely never meant for nothing.' lastly, he returns to the cause of theright, gloomily foreshadowing the possibility of something being unearthed tocriminate mr boffin (of whom he once more

candidly admits it cannot be denied that he profits by a murder), and anticipating hisdenunciation by the friendly movers to avenging justice. and this, mr wegg expressly points out, notat all for the sake of the reward--though it would be a want of principle not to takeit. to all this, mr venus, with his shock ofdusty hair cocked after the manner of a terrier's ears, attends profoundly. when mr wegg, having finished, opens hisarms wide, as if to show mr venus how bare his breast is, and then folds them pendinga reply, mr venus winks at him with both

eyes some little time before speaking. 'i see you have tried it by yourself, mrwegg,' he says when he does speak. 'you have found out the difficulties byexperience.' 'no, it can hardly be said that i havetried it,' replies wegg, a little dashed by the hint.'i have just skimmed it. skimmed it.' 'and found nothing besides thedifficulties?' wegg shakes his head. 'i scarcely know what to say to this, mrwegg,' observes venus, after ruminating for

a while.'say yes,' wegg naturally urges. 'if i wasn't soured, my answer would be no. but being soured, mr wegg, and driven toreckless madness and desperation, i suppose it's yes.' wegg joyfully reproduces the two glasses,repeats the ceremony of clinking their rims, and inwardly drinks with greatheartiness to the health and success in life of the young lady who has reduced mr venus to his present convenient state ofmind. the articles of the friendly move are thenseverally recited and agreed upon.

they are but secrecy, fidelity, andperseverance. the bower to be always free of access to mrvenus for his researches, and every precaution to be taken against theirattracting observation in the neighbourhood. 'there's a footstep!' exclaims venus.'where?' cries wegg, starting. 'outside. st!'they are in the act of ratifying the treaty of friendly move, by shaking hands upon it. they softly break off, light their pipeswhich have gone out, and lean back in their chairs.no doubt, a footstep.

it approaches the window, and a hand tapsat the glass. 'come in!' calls wegg; meaning come roundby the door. but the heavy old-fashioned sash is slowlyraised, and a head slowly looks in out of the dark background of night.'pray is mr silas wegg here? oh! i see him!' the friendly movers might not have beenquite at their ease, even though the visitor had entered in the usual manner. but, leaning on the breast-high window, andstaring in out of the darkness, they find the visitor extremely embarrassing.

especially mr venus: who removes his pipe,draws back his head, and stares at the starer, as if it were his own hindoo babycome to fetch him home. 'good evening, mr wegg. the yard gate-lock should be looked to, ifyou please; it don't catch.' 'is it mr rokesmith?' falters wegg.'it is mr rokesmith. don't let me disturb you. i am not coming in.i have only a message for you, which i undertook to deliver on my way home to mylodgings. i was in two minds about coming beyond thegate without ringing: not knowing but you

might have a dog about.''i wish i had,' mutters wegg, with his back turned as he rose from his chair. st! hush!the talking-over stranger, mr venus.' 'is that any one i know?' inquires thestaring secretary. 'no, mr rokesmith. friend of mine.passing the evening with me.' 'oh! i beg his pardon. mr boffin wishes you to know that he doesnot expect you to stay at home any evening, on the chance of his coming.it has occurred to him that he may, without

intending it, have been a tie upon you. in future, if he should come withoutnotice, he will take his chance of finding you, and it will be all the same to him ifhe does not. i undertook to tell you on my way. that's all.'with that, and 'good night,' the secretary lowers the window, and disappears. they listen, and hear his footsteps go backto the gate, and hear the gate close after him. 'and for that individual, mr venus,'remarks wegg, when he is fully gone, 'i

have been passed over!let me ask you what you think of him?' apparently, mr venus does not know what tothink of him, for he makes sundry efforts to reply, without delivering himself of anyother articulate utterance than that he has 'a singular look'. 'a double look, you mean, sir,' rejoinswegg, playing bitterly upon the word. 'that's his look.any amount of singular look for me, but not a double look! that's an under-handed mind, sir.''do you say there's something against him?' venus asks.'something against him?' repeats wegg.

'something? what would the relief be to my feelings--asa fellow-man--if i wasn't the slave of truth, and didn't feel myself compelled toanswer, everything!' see into what wonderful maudlin refuges,featherless ostriches plunge their heads! it is such unspeakable moral compensationto wegg, to be overcome by the consideration that mr rokesmith has anunderhanded mind! 'on this starlight night, mr venus,' heremarks, when he is showing that friendly mover out across the yard, and both aresomething the worse for mixing again and again: 'on this starlight night to think

that talking-over strangers, andunderhanded minds, can go walking home under the sky, as if they was all square!' 'the spectacle of those orbs,' says mrvenus, gazing upward with his hat tumbling off; 'brings heavy on me her crushing wordsthat she did not wish to regard herself nor yet to be regarded in that--' 'i know!i know! you needn't repeat 'em,' says wegg,pressing his hand. 'but think how those stars steady me in thecause of the right against some that shall be nameless.it isn't that i bear malice.

but see how they glisten with oldremembrances! old remembrances of what, sir?' mr venus begins drearily replying, 'of herwords, in her own handwriting, that she does not wish to regard herself, nor yet--'when silas cuts him short with dignity. 'no, sir! remembrances of our house, of mastergeorge, of aunt jane, of uncle parker, all laid waste!all offered up sacrifices to the minion of fortune and the worm of the hour!' our mutual friend by charles dickenschapter 8

in which an innocent elopement occurs the minion of fortune and the worm of thehour, or in less cutting language, nicodemus boffin, esquire, the goldendustman, had become as much at home in his eminently aristocratic family mansion as hewas likely ever to be. he could not but feel that, like aneminently aristocratic family cheese, it was much too large for his wants, and bredan infinite amount of parasites; but he was content to regard this drawback on his property as a sort of perpetual legacyduty. he felt the more resigned to it, forasmuchas mrs boffin enjoyed herself completely,

and miss bella was delighted. that young lady was, no doubt, anacquisition to the boffins. she was far too pretty to be unattractiveanywhere, and far too quick of perception to be below the tone of her new career. whether it improved her heart might be amatter of taste that was open to question; but as touching another matter of taste,its improvement of her appearance and manner, there could be no questionwhatever. and thus it soon came about that miss bellabegan to set mrs boffin right; and even further, that miss bella began to feel illat ease, and as it were responsible, when

she saw mrs boffin going wrong. not that so sweet a disposition and sosound a nature could ever go very wrong even among the great visiting authoritieswho agreed that the boffins were 'charmingly vulgar' (which for certain was not their own case in saying so), but thatwhen she made a slip on the social ice on which all the children of podsnappery, withgenteel souls to be saved, are required to skate in circles, or to slide in long rows, she inevitably tripped miss bella up (sothat young lady felt), and caused her to experience great confusion under theglances of the more skilful performers

engaged in those ice-exercises. at miss bella's time of life it was not tobe expected that she should examine herself very closely on the congruity or stabilityof her position in mr boffin's house. and as she had never been sparing ofcomplaints of her old home when she had no other to compare it with, so there was nonovelty of ingratitude or disdain in her very much preferring her new one. 'an invaluable man is rokesmith,' said mrboffin, after some two or three months. 'but i can't quite make him out.'neither could bella, so she found the subject rather interesting.

'he takes more care of my affairs, morning,noon, and night,' said mr boffin, 'than fifty other men put together either couldor would; and yet he has ways of his own that are like tying a scaffolding-pole right across the road, and bringing me upshort when i am almost a-walking arm in arm with him.''may i ask how so, sir?' inquired bella. 'well, my dear,' said mr boffin, 'he won'tmeet any company here, but you. when we have visitors, i should wish him tohave his regular place at the table like ourselves; but no, he won't take it.' 'if he considers himself above it,' saidmiss bella, with an airy toss of her head,

'i should leave him alone.''it ain't that, my dear,' replied mr boffin, thinking it over. 'he don't consider himself above it.''perhaps he considers himself beneath it,' suggested bella.'if so, he ought to know best.' 'no, my dear; nor it ain't that, neither. no,' repeated mr boffin, with a shake ofhis head, after again thinking it over; 'rokesmith's a modest man, but he don'tconsider himself beneath it.' 'then what does he consider, sir?' askedbella. 'dashed if i know!' said mr boffin.'it seemed at first as if it was only

lightwood that he objected to meet. and now it seems to be everybody, exceptyou.' oho! thought miss bella.'in--deed! that's it, is it!' for mr mortimer lightwood had dined theretwo or three times, and she had met him elsewhere, and he had shown her someattention. 'rather cool in a secretary--and pa'slodger--to make me the subject of his jealousy!' that pa's daughter should be socontemptuous of pa's lodger was odd; but

there were odder anomalies than that in themind of the spoilt girl: spoilt first by poverty, and then by wealth. be it this history's part, however, toleave them to unravel themselves. 'a little too much, i think,' miss bellareflected scornfully, 'to have pa's lodger laying claim to me, and keeping eligiblepeople off! a little too much, indeed, to have theopportunities opened to me by mr and mrs boffin, appropriated by a mere secretaryand pa's lodger!' yet it was not so very long ago that bellahad been fluttered by the discovery that this same secretary and lodger seem to likeher.

ah! but the eminently aristocratic mansionand mrs boffin's dressmaker had not come into play then. in spite of his seemingly retiring mannersa very intrusive person, this secretary and lodger, in miss bella's opinion. always a light in his office-room when wecame home from the play or opera, and he always at the carriage-door to hand us out. always a provoking radiance too on mrsboffin's face, and an abominably cheerful reception of him, as if it were possibleseriously to approve what the man had in his mind!

'you never charge me, miss wilfer,' saidthe secretary, encountering her by chance alone in the great drawing-room, 'withcommissions for home. i shall always be happy to execute anycommands you may have in that direction.' 'pray what may you mean, mr rokesmith?'inquired miss bella, with languidly drooping eyelids. 'by home?i mean your father's house at holloway.' she coloured under the retort--so skilfullythrust, that the words seemed to be merely a plain answer, given in plain good faith--and said, rather more emphatically and sharply:

'what commissions and commands are youspeaking of?' 'only little words of remembrance as iassume you sent somehow or other,' replied the secretary with his former air. 'it would be a pleasure to me if you wouldmake me the bearer of them. as you know, i come and go between the twohouses every day.' 'you needn't remind me of that, sir.' she was too quick in this petulant sallyagainst 'pa's lodger'; and she felt that she had been so when she met his quietlook. 'they don't send many--what was yourexpression?--words of remembrance to me,'

said bella, making haste to take refuge inill-usage. 'they frequently ask me about you, and igive them such slight intelligence as i can.''i hope it's truly given,' exclaimed bella. 'i hope you cannot doubt it, for it wouldbe very much against you, if you could.' 'no, i do not doubt it.i deserve the reproach, which is very just indeed. i beg your pardon, mr rokesmith.''i should beg you not to do so, but that it shows you to such admirable advantage,' hereplied with earnestness. 'forgive me; i could not help saying that.

to return to what i have digressed from,let me add that perhaps they think i report them to you, deliver little messages, andthe like. but i forbear to trouble you, as you neverask me.' 'i am going, sir,' said bella, looking athim as if he had reproved her, 'to see them tomorrow.' 'is that,' he asked, hesitating, 'said tome, or to them?' 'to which you please.''to both? shall i make it a message?' 'you can if you like, mr rokesmith.message or no message, i am going to see

them tomorrow.''then i will tell them so.' he lingered a moment, as though to give herthe opportunity of prolonging the conversation if she wished.as she remained silent, he left her. two incidents of the little interview werefelt by miss bella herself, when alone again, to be very curious. the first was, that he unquestionably lefther with a penitent air upon her, and a penitent feeling in her heart. the second was, that she had not anintention or a thought of going home, until she had announced it to him as a settleddesign.

'what can i mean by it, or what can he meanby it?' was her mental inquiry: 'he has no right to any power over me, and how do icome to mind him when i don't care for him?' mrs boffin, insisting that bella shouldmake tomorrow's expedition in the chariot, she went home in great grandeur. mrs wilfer and miss lavinia had speculatedmuch on the probabilities and improbabilities of her coming in thisgorgeous state, and, on beholding the chariot from the window at which they were secreted to look out for it, agreed that itmust be detained at the door as long as

possible, for the mortification andconfusion of the neighbours. then they repaired to the usual familyroom, to receive miss bella with a becoming show of indifference. the family room looked very small and verymean, and the downward staircase by which it was attained looked very narrow and verycrooked. the little house and all its arrangementswere a poor contrast to the eminently aristocratic dwelling.'i can hardly believe, thought bella, that i ever did endure life in this place!' gloomy majesty on the part of mrs wilfer,and native pertness on the part of lavvy,

did not mend the matter.bella really stood in natural need of a little help, and she got none. 'this,' said mrs wilfer, presenting a cheekto be kissed, as sympathetic and responsive as the back of the bowl of a spoon, 'isquite an honour! you will probably find your sister lavvygrown, bella.' 'ma,' miss lavinia interposed, 'there canbe no objection to your being aggravating, because bella richly deserves it; but ireally must request that you will not drag in such ridiculous nonsense as my havinggrown when i am past the growing age.' 'i grew, myself,' mrs wilfer sternlyproclaimed, 'after i was married.'

'very well, ma,' returned lavvy, 'then ithink you had much better have left it alone.' the lofty glare with which the majesticwoman received this answer, might have embarrassed a less pert opponent, but ithad no effect upon lavinia: who, leaving her parent to the enjoyment of any amount of glaring at she might deem desirableunder the circumstances, accosted her sister, undismayed. 'i suppose you won't consider yourselfquite disgraced, bella, if i give you a kiss?well!

and how do you do, bella? and how are your boffins?''peace!' exclaimed mrs wilfer. 'hold!i will not suffer this tone of levity.' 'my goodness me! how are your spoffins, then?' said lavvy,'since ma so very much objects to your boffins.''impertinent girl! minx!' said mrs wilfer, with dreadseverity. 'i don't care whether i am a minx, or asphinx,' returned lavinia, coolly, tossing her head; 'it's exactly the same thing tome, and i'd every bit as soon be one as the

other; but i know this--i'll not grow afteri'm married!' 'you will not?you will not?' repeated mrs wilfer, solemnly. 'no, ma, i will not.nothing shall induce me.' mrs wilfer, having waved her gloves, becameloftily pathetic. 'but it was to be expected;' thus shespake. 'a child of mine deserts me for the proudand prosperous, and another child of mine despises me. it is quite fitting.''ma,' bella struck in, 'mr and mrs boffin

are prosperous, no doubt; but you have noright to say they are proud. you must know very well that they are not.' 'in short, ma,' said lavvy, bouncing overto the enemy without a word of notice, you must know very well--or if you don't, moreshame for you!--that mr and mrs boffin are just absolute perfection.' 'truly,' returned mrs wilfer, courteouslyreceiving the deserter, it would seem that we are required to think so.and this, lavinia, is my reason for objecting to a tone of levity. mrs boffin (of whose physiognomy i cannever speak with the composure i would

desire to preserve), and your mother, arenot on terms of intimacy. it is not for a moment to be supposed thatshe and her husband dare to presume to speak of this family as the wilfers.i cannot therefore condescend to speak of them as the boffins. no; for such a tone--call it familiarity,levity, equality, or what you will--would imply those social interchanges which donot exist. do i render myself intelligible?' without taking the least notice of thisinquiry, albeit delivered in an imposing and forensic manner, lavinia reminded hersister, 'after all, you know, bella, you

haven't told us how your whatshisnamesare.' 'i don't want to speak of them here,'replied bella, suppressing indignation, and tapping her foot on the floor. 'they are much too kind and too good to bedrawn into these discussions.' 'why put it so?' demanded mrs wilfer, withbiting sarcasm. 'why adopt a circuitous form of speech? it is polite and it is obliging; but why doit? why not openly say that they are much tookind and too good for us? we understand the allusion.

why disguise the phrase?''ma,' said bella, with one beat of her foot, 'you are enough to drive a saint mad,and so is lavvy.' 'unfortunate lavvy!' cried mrs wilfer, in atone of commiseration. 'she always comes for it.my poor child!' but lavvy, with the suddenness of herformer desertion, now bounced over to the other enemy: very sharply remarking, 'don'tpatronize me, ma, because i can take care of myself.' 'i only wonder,' resumed mrs wilfer,directing her observations to her elder daughter, as safer on the whole than herutterly unmanageable younger, 'that you

found time and inclination to tear yourself from mr and mrs boffin, and come to see usat all. i only wonder that our claims, contendingagainst the superior claims of mr and mrs boffin, had any weight. i feel i ought to be thankful for gainingso much, in competition with mr and mrs boffin.' (the good lady bitterly emphasized thefirst letter of the word boffin, as if it represented her chief objection to theowners of that name, and as if she could have born doffin, moffin, or poffin muchbetter.)

'ma,' said bella, angrily, 'you force me tosay that i am truly sorry i did come home, and that i never will come home again,except when poor dear pa is here. for, pa is too magnanimous to feel envy andspite towards my generous friends, and pa is delicate enough and gentle enough toremember the sort of little claim they thought i had upon them and the unusually trying position in which, through no act ofmy own, i had been placed. and i always did love poor dear pa betterthan all the rest of you put together, and i always do and i always shall!' here bella, deriving no comfort from hercharming bonnet and her elegant dress,

burst into tears. 'i think, r.w.,' cried mrs wilfer, liftingup her eyes and apostrophising the air, 'that if you were present, it would be atrial to your feelings to hear your wife and the mother of your family depreciatedin your name. but fate has spared you this, r.w.,whatever it may have thought proper to inflict upon her!' here mrs wilfer burst into tears.'i hate the boffins!' protested miss lavinia.i don't care who objects to their being called the boffins.

i will call 'em the boffins.the boffins, the boffins, the boffins! and i say they are mischief-making boffins,and i say the boffins have set bella against me, and i tell the boffins to theirfaces:' which was not strictly the fact, but the young lady was excited: 'that they are detestable boffins, disreputableboffins, odious boffins, beastly boffins. there!'here miss lavinia burst into tears. the front garden-gate clanked, and thesecretary was seen coming at a brisk pace up the steps. 'leave me to open the door to him,' saidmrs wilfer, rising with stately resignation

as she shook her head and dried her eyes;'we have at present no stipendiary girl to do so. we have nothing to conceal.if he sees these traces of emotion on our cheeks, let him construe them as he may.'with those words she stalked out. in a few moments she stalked in again,proclaiming in her heraldic manner, 'mr rokesmith is the bearer of a packet formiss bella wilfer.' mr rokesmith followed close upon his name,and of course saw what was amiss. but he discreetly affected to see nothing,and addressed miss bella. 'mr boffin intended to have placed this inthe carriage for you this morning.

he wished you to have it, as a littlekeepsake he had prepared--it is only a purse, miss wilfer--but as he wasdisappointed in his fancy, i volunteered to come after you with it.' bella took it in her hand, and thanked him.'we have been quarrelling here a little, mr rokesmith, but not more than we used; youknow our agreeable ways among ourselves. you find me just going. good-bye, mamma.good-bye, lavvy!' and with a kiss for each miss bella turned to the door. the secretary would have attended her, butmrs wilfer advancing and saying with

dignity, 'pardon me! permit me to assert my natural right toescort my child to the equipage which is in waiting for her,' he begged pardon and gaveplace. it was a very magnificent spectacle indeed,too see mrs wilfer throw open the house- door, and loudly demand with extendedgloves, 'the male domestic of mrs boffin!' to whom presenting himself, she deliveredthe brief but majestic charge, 'miss wilfer. coming out!' and so delivered her over,like a female lieutenant of the tower relinquishing a state prisoner.

the effect of this ceremonial was for somequarter of an hour afterwards perfectly paralyzing on the neighbours, and was muchenhanced by the worthy lady airing herself for that term in a kind of splendidlyserene trance on the top step. when bella was seated in the carriage, sheopened the little packet in her hand. it contained a pretty purse, and the pursecontained a bank note for fifty pounds. 'this shall be a joyful surprise for poordear pa,' said bella, 'and i'll take it myself into the city!' as she was uninformed respecting the exactlocality of the place of business of chicksey veneering and stobbles, but knewit to be near mincing lane, she directed

herself to be driven to the corner of thatdarksome spot. thence she despatched 'the male domestic ofmrs boffin,' in search of the counting- house of chicksey veneering and stobbles,with a message importing that if r. wilfer could come out, there was a lady waitingwho would be glad to speak with him. the delivery of these mysterious words fromthe mouth of a footman caused so great an excitement in the counting-house, that ayouthful scout was instantly appointed to follow rumty, observe the lady, and come inwith his report. nor was the agitation by any meansdiminished, when the scout rushed back with the intelligence that the lady was 'a slap-up gal in a bang-up chariot.'

rumty himself, with his pen behind his earunder his rusty hat, arrived at the carriage-door in a breathless condition,and had been fairly lugged into the vehicle by his cravat and embraced almost untochoking, before he recognized his daughter. 'my dear child!' he then panted,incoherently. 'good gracious me! what a lovely woman you are!i thought you had been unkind and forgotten your mother and sister.''i have just been to see them, pa dear.' 'oh! and how--how did you find yourmother?' asked r. w., dubiously. 'very disagreeable, pa, and so was lavvy.'

'they are sometimes a little liable to it,'observed the patient cherub; 'but i hope you made allowances, bella, my dear?''no. i was disagreeable too, pa; we were all of us disagreeable together. but i want you to come and dine with mesomewhere, pa.' 'why, my dear, i have already partaken ofa--if one might mention such an article in this superb chariot--of a--saveloy,'replied r. wilfer, modestly dropping his voice on the word, as he eyed the canary-coloured fittings. 'oh! that's nothing, pa!' 'truly, it ain't as much as one couldsometimes wish it to be, my dear,' he

admitted, drawing his hand across hismouth. 'still, when circumstances over which youhave no control, interpose obstacles between yourself and small germans, youcan't do better than bring a contented mind to hear on'--again dropping his voice indeference to the chariot--'saveloys!' 'you poor good pa! pa, do, i beg and pray, get leave for therest of the day, and come and pass it with me!''well, my dear, i'll cut back and ask for leave.' 'but before you cut back,' said bella, whohad already taken him by the chin, pulled

his hat off, and begun to stick up his hairin her old way, 'do say that you are sure i am giddy and inconsiderate, but have neverreally slighted you, pa.' 'my dear, i say it with all my heart. and might i likewise observe,' her fatherdelicately hinted, with a glance out at window, 'that perhaps it might becalculated to attract attention, having one's hair publicly done by a lovely woman in an elegant turn-out in fenchurchstreet?' bella laughed and put on his hat again. but when his boyish figure bobbed away, itsshabbiness and cheerful patience smote the

tears out of her eyes. 'i hate that secretary for thinking it ofme,' she said to herself, 'and yet it seems half true!'back came her father, more like a boy than ever, in his release from school. 'all right, my dear.leave given at once. really very handsomely done!' 'now where can we find some quiet place,pa, in which i can wait for you while you go on an errand for me, if i send thecarriage away?' it demanded cogitation.

'you see, my dear,' he explained, 'youreally have become such a very lovely woman, that it ought to be a very quietplace.' at length he suggested, 'near the garden upby the trinity house on tower hill.' so, they were driven there, and belladismissed the chariot; sending a pencilled note by it to mrs boffin, that she was withher father. 'now, pa, attend to what i am going to say,and promise and vow to be obedient.' 'i promise and vow, my dear.''you ask no questions. you take this purse; you go to the nearestplace where they keep everything of the very very best, ready made; you buy and puton, the most beautiful suit of clothes, the

most beautiful hat, and the most beautiful pair of bright boots (patent leather, pa,mind!) that are to be got for money; and you come back to me.''but, my dear bella--' 'take care, pa!' pointing her forefinger athim, merrily. 'you have promised and vowed.it's perjury, you know.' there was water in the foolish littlefellow's eyes, but she kissed them dry (though her own were wet), and he bobbedaway again. after half an hour, he came back, sobrilliantly transformed, that bella was obliged to walk round him in ecstaticadmiration twenty times, before she could

draw her arm through his, and delightedlysqueeze it. 'now, pa,' said bella, hugging him close,'take this lovely woman out to dinner.' 'where shall we go, my dear?' 'greenwich!' said bella, valiantly.'and be sure you treat this lovely woman with everything of the best.' while they were going along to take boat,'don't you wish, my dear,' said r. w., timidly, 'that your mother was here?''no, i don't, pa, for i like to have you all to myself to-day. i was always your little favourite at home,and you were always mine.

we have run away together often, beforenow; haven't we, pa?' 'ah, to be sure we have! many a sunday when your mother was--was alittle liable to it,' repeating his former delicate expression after pausing to cough.'yes, and i am afraid i was seldom or never as good as i ought to have been, pa. i made you carry me, over and over again,when you should have made me walk; and i often drove you in harness, when you wouldmuch rather have sat down and read your news-paper: didn't i?' 'sometimes, sometimes.but lor, what a child you were!

what a companion you were!''companion? that's just what i want to be to-day, pa.' 'you are safe to succeed, my love.your brothers and sisters have all in their turns been companions to me, to a certainextent, but only to a certain extent. your mother has, throughout life, been acompanion that any man might--might look up to--and--and commit the sayings of, tomemory--and--form himself upon--if he--' 'if he liked the model?' suggested bella. 'we-ell, ye-es,' he returned, thinkingabout it, not quite satisfied with the phrase: 'or perhaps i might say, if it wasin him.

supposing, for instance, that a man wantedto be always marching, he would find your mother an inestimable companion. but if he had any taste for walking, orshould wish at any time to break into a trot, he might sometimes find it a littledifficult to keep step with your mother. or take it this way, bella,' he added,after a moment's reflection; 'supposing that a man had to go through life, we won'tsay with a companion, but we'll say to a tune. very good.supposing that the tune allotted to him was the dead march in saul.well.

it would be a very suitable tune forparticular occasions--none better--but it would be difficult to keep time with in theordinary run of domestic transactions. for instance, if he took his supper after ahard day, to the dead march in saul, his food might be likely to sit heavy on him. or, if he was at any time inclined torelieve his mind by singing a comic song or dancing a hornpipe, and was obliged to doit to the dead march in saul, he might find himself put out in the execution of hislively intentions.' 'poor pa!' thought bella, as she hung uponhis arm. 'now, what i will say for you, my dear,'the cherub pursued mildly and without a

notion of complaining, 'is, that you are soadaptable. so adaptable.' 'indeed i am afraid i have shown a wretchedtemper, pa. i am afraid i have been very complaining,and very capricious. i seldom or never thought of it before. but when i sat in the carriage just now andsaw you coming along the pavement, i reproached myself.''not at all, my dear. don't speak of such a thing.' a happy and a chatty man was pa in his newclothes that day.

take it for all in all, it was perhaps thehappiest day he had ever known in his life; not even excepting that on which his heroicpartner had approached the nuptial altar to the tune of the dead march in saul. the little expedition down the river wasdelightful, and the little room overlooking the river into which they were shown fordinner was delightful. everything was delightful. the park was delightful, the punch wasdelightful, the dishes of fish were delightful, the wine was delightful. bella was more delightful than any otheritem in the festival; drawing pa out in the

gayest manner; making a point of alwaysmentioning herself as the lovely woman; stimulating pa to order things, by declaring that the lovely woman insisted onbeing treated with them; and in short causing pa to be quite enraptured with theconsideration that he was the pa of such a charming daughter. and then, as they sat looking at the shipsand steamboats making their way to the sea with the tide that was running down, thelovely woman imagined all sorts of voyages for herself and pa. now, pa, in the character of owner of alumbering square-sailed collier, was

tacking away to newcastle, to fetch blackdiamonds to make his fortune with; now, pa was going to china in that handsome threemasted ship, to bring home opium, withwhich he would for ever cut out chicksey veneering and stobbles, and to bring homesilks and shawls without end for the decoration of his charming daughter. now, john harmon's disastrous fate was alla dream, and he had come home and found the lovely woman just the article for him, andthe lovely woman had found him just the article for her, and they were going away on a trip, in their gallant bark, to lookafter their vines, with streamers flying at

all points, a band playing on deck and paestablished in the great cabin. now, john harmon was consigned to his graveagain, and a merchant of immense wealth (name unknown) had courted and married thelovely woman, and he was so enormously rich that everything you saw upon the river sailing or steaming belonged to him, and hekept a perfect fleet of yachts for pleasure, and that little impudent yachtwhich you saw over there, with the great white sail, was called the bella, in honour of his wife, and she held her state aboardwhen it pleased her, like a modern cleopatra.

anon, there would embark in that troop-shipwhen she got to gravesend, a mighty general, of large property (name alsounknown), who wouldn't hear of going to victory without his wife, and whose wife was the lovely woman, and she was destinedto become the idol of all the red coats and blue jackets alow and aloft.and then again: you saw that ship being towed out by a steam-tug? well! where did you suppose she was goingto? she was going among the coral reefs andcocoa-nuts and all that sort of thing, and she was chartered for a fortunateindividual of the name of pa (himself on

board, and much respected by all hands), and she was going, for his sole profit andadvantage, to fetch a cargo of sweet- smelling woods, the most beautiful thatever were seen, and the most profitable that ever were heard of; and her cargo would be a great fortune, as indeed itought to be: the lovely woman who had purchased her and fitted her expressly forthis voyage, being married to an indian prince, who was a something-or-other, and who wore cashmere shawls all over himselfand diamonds and emeralds blazing in his turban, and was beautifully coffee-colouredand excessively devoted, though a little

too jealous. thus bella ran on merrily, in a mannerperfectly enchanting to pa, who was as willing to put his head into the sultan'stub of water as the beggar-boys below the window were to put their heads in the mud. 'i suppose, my dear,' said pa after dinner,'we may come to the conclusion at home, that we have lost you for good?'bella shook her head. didn't know. couldn't say. all she was able to report was, that shewas most handsomely supplied with

everything she could possibly want, andthat whenever she hinted at leaving mr and mrs boffin, they wouldn't hear of it. 'and now, pa,' pursued bella, 'i'll make aconfession to you. i am the most mercenary little wretch thatever lived in the world.' 'i should hardly have thought it of you, mydear,' returned her father, first glancing at himself; and then at the dessert.'i understand what you mean, pa, but it's not that. it's not that i care for money to keep asmoney, but i do care so much for what it will buy!''really i think most of us do,' returned r.

w. 'but not to the dreadful extent that i do,pa. o-o!' cried bella, screwing the exclamationout of herself with a twist of her dimpled chin. 'i am so mercenary!'with a wistful glance r. w. said, in default of having anything better to say:'about when did you begin to feel it coming on, my dear?' 'that's it, pa.that's the terrible part of it. when i was at home, and only knew what itwas to be poor, i grumbled but didn't so

much mind. when i was at home expecting to be rich, ithought vaguely of all the great things i would do. but when i had been disappointed of mysplendid fortune, and came to see it from day to day in other hands, and to havebefore my eyes what it could really do, then i became the mercenary little wretch iam.' 'it's your fancy, my dear.' 'i can assure you it's nothing of the sort,pa!' said bella, nodding at him, with her very pretty eyebrows raised as high as theywould go, and looking comically frightened.

'it's a fact. i am always avariciously scheming.''lor! but how?' 'i'll tell you, pa. i don't mind telling you, because we havealways been favourites of each other's, and because you are not like a pa, but morelike a sort of a younger brother with a dear venerable chubbiness on him. and besides,' added bella, laughing as shepointed a rallying finger at his face, 'because i have got you in my power.this is a secret expedition. if ever you tell of me, i'll tell of you.

i'll tell ma that you dined at greenwich.''well; seriously, my dear,' observed r. w., with some trepidation of manner, 'it mightbe as well not to mention it.' 'aha!' laughed bella. 'i knew you wouldn't like it, sir!so you keep my confidence, and i'll keep yours.but betray the lovely woman, and you shall find her a serpent. now, you may give me a kiss, pa, and ishould like to give your hair a turn, because it has been dreadfully neglected inmy absence.' r. w. submitted his head to the operator,and the operator went on talking; at the

same time putting separate locks of hishair through a curious process of being smartly rolled over her two revolving forefingers, which were then suddenlypulled out of it in opposite lateral directions.on each of these occasions the patient winced and winked. 'i have made up my mind that i must havemoney, pa. i feel that i can't beg it, borrow it, orsteal it; and so i have resolved that i must marry it.' r. w. cast up his eyes towards her, as wellas he could under the operating

circumstances, and said in a tone ofremonstrance, 'my de-ar bella!' 'have resolved, i say, pa, that to getmoney i must marry money. in consequence of which, i am alwayslooking out for money to captivate.' 'my de-a-r bella!' 'yes, pa, that is the state of the case.if ever there was a mercenary plotter whose thoughts and designs were always in hermean occupation, i am the amiable creature. but i don't care. i hate and detest being poor, and i won'tbe poor if i can marry money. now you are deliciously fluffy, pa, and ina state to astonish the waiter and pay the

bill.' 'but, my dear bella, this is quite alarmingat your age.' 'i told you so, pa, but you wouldn'tbelieve it,' returned bella, with a pleasant childish gravity. 'isn't it shocking?''it would be quite so, if you fully knew what you said, my dear, or meant it.''well, pa, i can only tell you that i mean nothing else. talk to me of love!' said bella,contemptuously: though her face and figure certainly rendered the subject noincongruous one.

'talk to me of fiery dragons! but talk to me of poverty and wealth, andthere indeed we touch upon realities.' 'my de-ar, this is becoming awful--' herfather was emphatically beginning: when she stopped him. 'pa, tell me.did you marry money?' 'you know i didn't, my dear.'bella hummed the dead march in saul, and said, after all it signified very little! but seeing him look grave and downcast, shetook him round the neck and kissed him back to cheerfulness again.'i didn't mean that last touch, pa; it was

only said in joke. now mind!you are not to tell of me, and i'll not tell of you. and more than that; i promise to have nosecrets from you, pa, and you may make certain that, whatever mercenary things goon, i shall always tell you all about them in strict confidence.' fain to be satisfied with this concessionfrom the lovely woman, r. w. rang the bell, and paid the bill. 'now, all the rest of this, pa,' saidbella, rolling up the purse when they were

alone again, hammering it small with herlittle fist on the table, and cramming it into one of the pockets of his new waistcoat, 'is for you, to buy presentswith for them at home, and to pay bills with, and to divide as you like, and spendexactly as you think proper. last of all take notice, pa, that it's notthe fruit of any avaricious scheme. perhaps if it was, your little mercenarywretch of a daughter wouldn't make so free with it!' after which, she tugged at his coat withboth hands, and pulled him all askew in buttoning that garment over the preciouswaistcoat pocket, and then tied her dimples

into her bonnet-strings in a very knowingway, and took him back to london. arrived at mr boffin's door, she set himwith his back against it, tenderly took him by the ears as convenient handles for herpurpose, and kissed him until he knocked muffled double knocks at the door with theback of his head. that done, she once more reminded him oftheir compact and gaily parted from him. not so gaily, however, but that tearsfilled her eyes as he went away down the dark street.not so gaily, but that she several times said, 'ah, poor little pa! ah, poor dear struggling shabby little pa!'before she took heart to knock at the door.

not so gaily, but that the brilliantfurniture seemed to stare her out of countenance as if it insisted on beingcompared with the dingy furniture at home. not so gaily, but that she fell into verylow spirits sitting late in her own room, and very heartily wept, as she wished, nowthat the deceased old john harmon had never made a will about her, now that the deceased young john harmon had lived tomarry her. 'contradictory things to wish,' said bella,'but my life and fortunes are so contradictory altogether that what can iexpect myself to be!'

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