第16章

\'ButIdosay，\'proceededVenus，\'thatIamtakenfromamongmytrophiesofanatomy，amcalledupontoexchangemyhumanwariousformerecoal-asheswarious，andnothingcomesofit。I

thinkImustgiveup。\'

\'No，sir！\'remonstratedWegg，enthusiastically。\'No，Sir！

“Charge，Chester，charge，On，MrVenus，on！“

Neversaydie，sir！Amanofyourmark！\'

\'It\'snotsomuchsayingitthatIobjectto，\'returnedMrVenus，\'asdoingit。Andhavinggottodoitwhetherorno，Ican\'taffordtowastemytimeongropingfornothingincinders。\'

\'Butthinkhowlittletimeyouhavegiventothemove，sir，afterall，\'

urgedWegg。\'Addtheeveningssooccupiedtogether，andwhatdotheycometo?Andyou，sir，harmonizerwithmyselfinopinions，views，andfeelings，youwiththepatiencetofittogetheronwiresthewholeframeworkofsociety——Ialludetothehumanskelinton——

youtogiveinsosoon！\'

\'Idon\'tlikeit，\'returnedMrVenusmoodily，asheputhisheadbetweenhiskneesandstuckuphisdustyhair。\'Andthere\'snoencouragementtogoon。\'

\'NotthemMoundswithout，\'saidMrWegg，extendinghisrighthandwithanairofsolemnreasoning，\'encouragement?NotthemMoundsnowlookingdownuponus?\'

\'They\'retoobig，\'grumbledVenus。\'What\'sascratchhereandascrapethere，apokeinthisplaceandadigintheother，tothem。

Besides；whathavewefound?\'

\'WhatHAVEwefound?\'criedWegg，delightedtobeabletoacquiesce。\'Ah！ThereIgrantyou，comrade。Nothing。Butonthecontrary，comrade，whatMAYwefind?Thereyou\'llgrantme。

Anything。\'

\'Idon\'tlikeit，\'pettishlyreturnedVenusasbefore。\'Icameintoitwithoutenoughconsideration。Andbesidesagain。Isn\'tyourownMrBoffinwellacquaintedwiththeMounds?Andwasn\'thewellacquaintedwiththedeceasedandhisways?Andhasheevershowedanyexpectationoffindinganything?\'

Atthatmomentwheelswereheard。

\'Now，Ishouldbeloth，\'saidMrWegg，withanairofpatientinjury，\'tothinksoillofhimastosupposehimcapableofcomingatthistimeofnight。Andyetitsoundslikehim。\'

Aringattheyardbell。

\'Itishim，\'saidMrWegg，\'andheitcapableofit。Iamsorry，becauseIcouldhavewishedtokeepupalittlelingeringfragmentofrespectforhim。\'

HereMrBoffinwasheardlustilycallingattheyardgate，\'Halloa！

Wegg！Halloa！\'

\'Keepyourseat，MrVenus，\'saidWegg。\'Hemaynotstop。\'Andthencalledout，\'Halloa，sir！Halloa！I\'mwithyoudirectly，sir！

Halfaminute，MrBoffin。Coming，sir，asfastasmylegwillbringme！\'Andsowithashowofmuchcheerfulalacritystumpedouttothegatewithalight，andthere，throughthewindowofacab，descriedMrBoffininside，blockedupwithbooks。

\'Here！lendahand，Wegg，\'saidMrBoffinexcitedly，\'Ican\'tgetouttillthewayisclearedforme。ThisistheAnnualRegister，Wegg，inacab-fullofwollumes。Doyouknowhim?\'

\'KnowtheAnimalRegister，sir?\'returnedtheImpostor，whohadcaughtthenameimperfectly。\'Foratriflingwager，IthinkIcouldfindanyAnimalinhim，blindfold，MrBoffin。\'

\'Andhere\'sKirby\'sWonderfulMuseum，\'saidMrBoffin，\'andCaulfield\'sCharacters，andWilson\'s。SuchCharacters，Wegg，suchCharacters！Imusthaveoneortwoofthebestof\'emto-

night。It\'samazingwhatplacestheyusedtoputtheguineasin，wrappedupinrags。Catchholdofthatpileofwollumes，Wegg，orit\'llbulgeoutandburstintothemud。Isthereanyoneabout，tohelp?\'

\'There\'safriendofmine，sir，thathadtheintentionofspendingtheeveningwithmewhenIgaveyouup——muchagainstmywill——forthenight。\'

\'Callhimout，\'criedMrBoffininabustle；\'gethimtobearahand。

Don\'tdropthatoneunderyourarm。It\'sDancer。Himandhissistermadepiesofadeadsheeptheyfoundwhentheywereoutawalking。Where\'syourfriend?Oh，here\'syourfriend。WouldyoubesogoodashelpWeggandmyselfwiththesebooks?Butdon\'ttakeJemmyTaylorofSouthwark，noryetJemmyWoodofGloucester。ThesearethetwoJemmys。I\'llcarrythemmyself。\'

Notceasingtotalkandbustle，inastateofgreatexcitement，MrBoffindirectedtheremovalandarrangementofthebooks，appearingtobeinsomesortbesidehimselfuntiltheywerealldepositedonthefloor，andthecabwasdismissed。

\'There！\'saidMrBoffin，gloatingoverthem。\'Theretheyare，likethefour-and-twentyfiddlers——allofarow。Getonyourspectacles，Wegg；Iknowwheretofindthebestof\'em，andwe\'llhaveatasteatonceofwhatwehavegotbeforeus。What\'syourfriend\'sname?\'

MrWeggpresentedhisfriendasMrVenus。

\'Eh?\'criedMrBoffin，catchingatthename。\'OfClerkenwell?\'

\'OfClerkenwell，sir，\'saidMrVenus。

\'Why，I\'veheardofyou，\'criedMrBoffin，\'Iheardofyouintheoldman\'stime。Youknewhim。Didyoueverbuyanythingofhim?\'

Withpiercingeagerness。

\'No，sir，\'returnedVenus。

\'Butheshowedyouthings；didn\'the?\'

MrVenus，withaglanceathisfriend，repliedintheaffirmative。

\'Whatdidheshowyou?\'askedMrBoffin，puttinghishandsbehindhim，andeagerlyadvancinghishead。\'Didheshowyouboxes，littlecabinets，pocket-books，parcels，anythinglockedorsealed，anythingtiedup?\'

MrVenusshookhishead。

\'Areyouajudgeofchina?\'

MrVenusagainshookhishead。

\'Becauseifhehadevershowedyouateapot，Ishouldbegladtoknowofit，\'saidMrBoffin。Andthen，withhisrighthandathislips，repeatedthoughtfully，\'aTeapot，aTeapot\'，andglancedoverthebooksonthefloor，asifheknewtherewassomethinginterestingconnectedwithateapot，somewhereamongthem。

MrWeggandMrVenuslookedatoneanotherwonderingly:andMrWegg，infittingonhisspectacles，openedhiseyeswide，overtheirrims，andtappedthesideofhisnose:asanadmonitiontoVenustokeephimselfgenerallywideawake。

\'ATeapot，\'repeatedMrBoffin，continuingtomuseandsurveythebooks；\'aTeapot，aTeapot。Areyouready，Wegg?\'

\'Iamatyourservice，sir，\'repliedthatgentleman，takinghisusualseatontheusualsettle，andpokinghiswoodenlegunderthetablebeforeit。\'MrVenus，wouldyoumakeyourselfuseful，andtakeaseatbesideme，sir，fortheconveniencyofsnuffingthecandles?\'

Venuscomplyingwiththeinvitationwhileitwasyetbeinggiven，Silaspeggedathimwithhiswoodenleg，tocallhisparticularattentiontoMrBoffinstandingmusingbeforethefire，inthespacebetweenthetwosettles。

\'Hem！Ahem！\'coughedMrWeggtoattracthisemployer\'sattention。\'WouldyouwishtocommencewithanAnimal，sir——

fromtheRegister?\'

\'No，\'saidMrBoffin，\'no，Wegg。\'Withthat，producingalittlebookfromhisbreast-pocket，hehandeditwithgreatcaretotheliterarygentlemen，andinquired，\'Whatdoyoucallthat，Wegg?\'

\'This，sir，\'repliedSilas，adjustinghisspectacles，andreferringtothetitle-page，\'isMerryweather\'sLivesandAnecdotesofMisers。

MrVenus，wouldyoumakeyourselfusefulanddrawthecandlesalittlenearer，sir?\'Thistohaveaspecialopportunityofbestowingastareuponhiscomrade。

\'Whichof\'emhaveyougotinthatlot?\'askedMrBoffin。\'Canyoufindoutprettyeasy?\'

\'Well，sir，\'repliedSilas，turningtothetableofcontentsandslowlyflutteringtheleavesofthebook，\'Ishouldsaytheymustbeprettywellallhere，sir；here\'salargeassortment，sir；myeyecatchesJohnOvers，sir，JohnLittle，sir，DickJarrel，JohnElwes，theReverendMrJonesofBlewbury，VultureHopkins，DanielDancer——

\'

\'GiveusDancer，Wegg，\'saidMrBoffin。

Withanotherstareathiscomrade，Silassoughtandfoundtheplace。

\'Pageahundredandnine，MrBoffin。Chaptereight。Contentsofchapter，“Hisbirthandestate。Hisgarmentsandoutwardappearance。MissDancerandherfemininegraces。TheMiser\'sMansion。Thefindingofatreasure。TheStoryoftheMuttonPies。

AMiser\'sIdeaofDeath。Bob，theMiser\'scur。GriffithsandhisMaster。Howtoturnapenny。AsubstituteforaFire。TheAdvantagesofkeepingaSnuff-box。TheMiserdieswithoutaShirt。TheTreasuresofaDunghill——“\'

\'Eh?What\'sthat?\'demandedMrBoffin。

\'“TheTreasures，“sir，\'repeatedSilas，readingverydistinctly，\'“ofaDunghill。”MrVenus，sir，wouldyouobleegewiththesnuffers?\'

This，tosecureattentiontohisaddingwithhislipsonly，\'Mounds！\'

MrBoffindrewanarm-chairintothespacewherehestood，andsaid，seatinghimselfandslylyrubbinghishands:

\'GiveusDancer。\'

MrWeggpursuedthebiographyofthateminentmanthroughitsvariousphasesofavariceanddirt，throughMissDancer\'sdeathonasickregimenofcolddumpling，andthroughMrDancer\'skeepinghisragstogetherwithahayband，andwarminghisdinnerbysittinguponit，downtotheconsolatoryincidentofhisdyingnakedinasack。Afterwhichhereadonasfollows:

\'“Thehouse，orrathertheheapofruins，inwhichMrDancerlived，andwhichathisdeathdevolvedtotherightofCaptainHolmes，wasamostmiserable，decayedbuilding，forithadnotbeenrepairedformorethanhalfacentury。”\'

(HereMrWeggeyeshiscomradeandtheroominwhichtheysat:

whichhadnotbeenrepairedforalongtime。)

\'“Butthoughpoorinexternalstructure，theruinousfabricwasveryrichintheinterior。Ittookmanyweekstoexploreitswholecontents；andCaptainHolmesfounditaveryagreeabletasktodiveintothemiser\'ssecrethoards。”\'

(HereMrWeggrepeated\'secrethoards\'，andpeggedhiscomradeagain。)

\'“OneofMrDancer\'srichestescretoireswasfoundtobeadungheapinthecowhouse；asumbutlittleshortoftwothousandfivehundredpoundswascontainedinthisrichpieceofmanure；

andinanoldjacket，carefullytied，andstronglynaileddowntothemanger，inbanknotesandgoldwerefoundfivehundredpoundsmore。”\'

(HereMrWegg\'swoodenlegstartedforwardunderthetable，andslowlyelevateditselfashereadon。)

\'“Severalbowlswerediscoveredfilledwithguineasandhalf-

guineas；andatdifferenttimesonsearchingthecornersofthehousetheyfoundvariousparcelsofbanknotes。Somewerecrammedintothecrevicesofthewall“\'；

(HereMrVenuslookedatthewall。)

\'“Bundleswerehidunderthecushionsandcoversofthechairs“\'；

(HereMrVenuslookedunderhimselfonthesettle。)

\'“Somewerereposingsnuglyatthebackofthedrawers；andnotesamountingtosixhundredpoundswerefoundneatlydoubledupintheinsideofanoldteapot。InthestabletheCaptainfoundjugsfullofolddollarsandshillings。Thechimneywasnotleftunsearched，andpaidverywellforthetrouble；forinnineteendifferentholes，allfilledwithsoot，werefoundvarioussumsofmoney，amountingtogethertomorethantwohundredpounds。”\'

OnthewaytothiscrisisMrWegg\'swoodenleghadgraduallyelevateditselfmoreandmore，andhehadnudgedMrVenuswithhisoppositeelbowdeeperanddeeper，untilatlengththepreservationofhisbalancebecameincompatiblewiththetwoactions，andhenowdroppedoversidewaysuponthatgentleman，squeezinghimagainstthesettle\'sedge。Nordideitherofthetwo，forsomefewseconds，makeanyefforttorecoverhimself；bothremaininginakindofpecuniaryswoon。

ButthesightofMrBoffinsittinginthearm-chairhugginghimself，withhiseyesuponthefire，actedasarestorative。Counterfeitingasneezetocovertheirmovements，MrWegg，withaspasmodic\'Tish-ho！\'pulledhimselfandMrVenusupinamasterlymanner。

\'Let\'shavesomemore，\'saidMrBoffin，hungrily。

\'JohnElwesisthenext，sir。IsityourpleasuretotakeJohnElwes?\'

\'Ah！\'saidMrBoffin。\'Let\'shearwhatJohndid。\'

Hedidnotappeartohavehiddenanything，sowentoffratherflatly。ButanexemplaryladynamedWilcocks，whohadstowedawaygoldandsilverinapickle-potinaclock-case，acanister-fulloftreasureinaholeunderherstairs，andaquantityofmoneyinanoldrat-trap，revivedtheinterest。Tohersucceededanotherlady，claimingtobeapauper，whosewealthwasfoundwrappedupinlittlescrapsofpaperandoldrag。Toher，anotherlady，apple-

womanbytrade，whohadsavedafortuneoftenthousandpoundsandhiddenit\'hereandthere，incracksandcorners，behindbricksandundertheflooring。\'Toher，aFrenchgentleman，whohadcrammeduphischimney，rathertothedetrimentofitsdrawingpowers，\'aleathervalise，containingtwentythousandfrancs，goldcoins，andalargequantityofpreciousstones，\'asdiscoveredbyachimneysweepafterhisdeath。BythesestepsMrWeggarrivedataconcludinginstanceofthehumanMagpie:

\'“Manyyearsago，therelivedatCambridgeamiserlyoldcoupleofthenameofJardine:theyhadtwosons:thefatherwasaperfectmiser，andathisdeathonethousandguineaswerediscoveredsecretedinhisbed。Thetwosonsgrewupasparsimoniousastheirsire。Whenabouttwentyyearsofage，theycommencedbusinessatCambridgeasdrapers，andtheycontinuedthereuntiltheirdeath。TheestablishmentoftheMessrsJardinewasthemostdirtyofalltheshopsinCambridge。Customersseldomwentintopurchase，exceptperhapsoutofcuriosity。Thebrothersweremostdisreputable-lookingbeings；for，althoughsurroundedwithgayapparelastheirstapleintrade，theyworethemostfilthyragsthemselves。Itissaidthattheyhadnobed，and，tosavetheexpenseofone，alwayssleptonabundleofpacking-clothsunderthecounter。Intheirhousekeepingtheywerepenuriousintheextreme。Ajointofmeatdidnotgracetheirboardfortwentyyears。

Yetwhenthefirstofthebrothersdied，theother，muchtohissurprise，foundlargesumsofmoneywhichhadbeensecretedevenfromhim。\'

\'There！\'criedMrBoffin。\'Evenfromhim，yousee！Therewasonlytwoof\'em，andyetoneof\'emhidfromtheother。\'

MrVenus，whosincehisintroductiontotheFrenchgentleman，hadbeenstoopingtopeerupthechimney，hadhisattentionrecalledbythelastsentence，andtookthelibertyofrepeatingit。

\'Doyoulikeit?\'askedMrBoffin，turningsuddenly。

\'Ibegyourpardon，sir?\'

\'DoyoulikewhatWegg\'sbeena-reading?\'

MrVenusansweredthathefounditextremelyinteresting。

\'Thencomeagain，\'saidMrBoffin，\'andhearsomemore。Comewhenyoulike；comethedayafterto-morrow，halfanhoursooner。

There\'splentymore；there\'snoendtoit。\'

MrVenusexpressedhisacknowledgmentsandacceptedtheinvitation。

\'It\'swonderfulwhat\'sbeenhid，atonetimeandanother，\'saidMrBoffin，ruminating；\'trulywonderful。\'

\'Meaningsir，\'observedWegg，withapropitiatoryfacetodrawhimout，andwithanotherpegathisfriendandbrother，\'inthewayofmoney?\'

\'Money，\'saidMrBoffin。\'Ah！Andpapers。\'

MrWegg，inalanguidtransport，againdroppedoveronMrVenus，andagainrecoveringhimself，maskedhisemotionswithasneeze。

\'Tish-ho！Didyousaypaperstoo，sir?Beenhidden，sir?\'

\'Hiddenandforgot，\'saidMrBoffin。\'WhythebooksellerthatsoldmetheWonderfulMuseum——where\'stheWonderfulMuseum?\'Hewasonhiskneesonthefloorinamoment，gropingeagerlyamongthebooks。

\'CanIassistyou，sir?\'askedWegg。

\'No，Ihavegotit；hereitis，\'saidMrBoflin，dustingitwiththesleeveofhiscoat。\'Wollumefour。Iknowitwasthefourthwollume，thatthebooksellerreadittomeoutof。Lookforit，Wegg。\'

Silastookthebookandturnedtheleaves。

\'Remarkablepetrefaction，sir?\'

\'No，that\'snotit，\'saidMrBoffin。\'Itcan\'thavebeenapetrefaction。\'

\'MemoirsofGeneralJohnReid，commonlycalledTheWalkingRushlight，sir?Withportrait?\'

\'No，noryethim，\'saidMrBoffin。

\'Remarkablecaseofapersonwhoswallowedacrown-piece，sir?\'

\'Tohideit?\'askedMrBoffin。

\'Why，no，sir，\'repliedWegg，consultingthetext，\'itappearstohavebeendonebyaccident。Oh！Thisnextmustbeit。“Singulardiscoveryofawill，losttwenty-oneyears。”\'

\'That\'sit！\'criedMrBoffin。\'Readthat。\'

\'“Amostextraordinarycase，“\'readSilasWeggaloud，\'“wastriedatthelastMaryboroughassizesinIreland。Itwasbrieflythis。

RobertBaldwin，inMarch1782，madehiswill，inwhichhedevisedthelandsnowinquestion，tothechildrenofhisyoungestson；soonafterwhichhisfacultiesfailedhim，andhebecamealtogetherchildishanddied，aboveeightyyearsold。Thedefendant，theeldestson，immediatelyafterwardsgaveoutthathisfatherhaddestroyedthewill；andnowillbeingfound，heenteredintopossessionofthelandsinquestion，andsomattersremainedfortwenty-oneyears，thewholefamilyduringallthattimebelievingthatthefatherhaddiedwithoutawill。Butaftertwenty-

oneyearsthedefendant\'swifedied，andheverysoonafterwards，attheageofseventy-eight，marriedaveryyoungwoman:whichcausedsomeanxietytohistwosons，whosepoignantexpressionsofthisfeelingsoexasperatedtheirfather，thatheinhisresentmentexecutedawilltodisinherithiseldestson，andinhisfitofangershowedittohissecondson，whoinstantlydeterminedtogetatit，anddestroyit，inordertopreservethepropertytohisbrother。

Withthisview，hebrokeopenhisfather\'sdesk，wherehefound——

nothisfather\'swillwhichhesoughtafter，butthewillofhisgrandfather，whichwasthenaltogetherforgotteninthefamily。”\'

\'There！\'saidMrBoffin。\'Seewhatmenputawayandforget，ormeantodestroy，anddon\'t！\'Hethenaddedinaslowtone，\'As——

ton——ish——ing！\'Andasherolledhiseyesallroundtheroom，WeggandVenuslikewiserolledtheireyesallroundtheroom。AndthenWegg，singly，fixedhiseyesonMrBoffinlookingatthefireagain；

asifhehadamindtospringuponhimanddemandhisthoughtsorhislife。

\'However，time\'supforto-night，\'saidMrBoffin，wavinghishandafterasilence。\'More，thedayafterto-morrow。Rangethebooksupontheshelves，Wegg。IdaresayMrVenuswillbesokindashelpyou。\'

Whilespeaking，hethrusthishandintothebreastofhisoutercoat，andstruggledwithsomeobjecttherethatwastoolargetobegotouteasily。Whatwasthestupefactionofthefriendlymoverswhenthisobjectatlastemerging，provedtobeamuch-dilapidateddarklantern！

Withoutatallnoticingtheeffectproducedbythislittleinstrument，MrBoffinstooditonhisknee，and，producingaboxofmatches，deliberatelylightedthecandleinthelantern，blewoutthekindledmatch，andcasttheendintothefire。\'I\'mgoing，Wegg，\'hethenannounced，\'totakeaturnabouttheplaceandroundtheyard。I

don\'twantyou。Meandthissamelanternhavetakenhundreds——

thousands——ofsuchturnsinourtimetogether。\'

\'ButIcouldn\'tthink，sir——notonanyaccount，Icouldn\'t，\'——Weggwaspolitelybeginning，whenMrBoffin，whohadrisenandwasgoingtowardsthedoor，stopped:

\'IhavetoldyouthatIdon\'twantyou，Wegg。\'

Wegglookedintelligentlythoughtful，asifthathadnotoccurredtohisminduntilhenowbroughtittobearonthecircumstance。HehadnothingforitbuttoletMrBoffingooutandshutthedoorbehindhim。But，theinstanthewasontheothersideofit，WeggclutchedVenuswithbothhands，andsaidinachokingwhisper，asifhewerebeingstrangled:

\'MrVenus，hemustbefollowed，hemustbewatched，hemustn\'tbelostsightofforamoment。\'

\'Whymustn\'the?\'askedVenus，alsostrangling。

\'Comrade，youmighthavenoticedIwasalittleelewatedinspiritswhenyoucomeinto-night。I\'vefoundsomething。\'

\'Whathaveyoufound?\'askedVenus，clutchinghimwithbothhands，sothattheystoodinterlockedlikeacoupleofpreposterousgladiators。

\'There\'snotimetotellyounow。Ithinkhemusthavegonetolookforit。Wemusthaveaneyeuponhiminstantly。\'

Releasingeachother，theycrepttothedoor，openeditsoftly，andpeepedout。Itwasacloudynight，andtheblackshadowoftheMoundsmadethedarkyarddarker。\'Ifnotadoubleswindler，\'

whisperedWegg，\'whyadarklantern?Wecouldhaveseenwhathewasabout，ifhehadcarriedalightone。Softly，thisway。\'

Cautiouslyalongthepaththatwasborderedbyfragmentsofcrockerysetinashes，thetwostoleafterhim。Theycouldhearhimathispeculiartrot，crushingtheloosecindersashewent。\'Heknowstheplacebyheart，\'mutteredSilas，\'anddon\'tneedtoturnhislanternon，confoundhim！\'Buthedidturniton，almostinthatsameinstant，andflasheditslightuponthefirstoftheMounds。

\'Isthatthespot?\'askedVenusinawhisper。

\'He\'swarm，\'saidSilasinthesametone。\'He\'spreciouswarm。

He\'sclose。Ithinkhemustbegoingtolookforit。What\'sthathe\'sgotinhishand?\'

\'Ashovel，\'answeredVenus。\'Andheknowshowtouseit，remember，fiftytimesaswellaseitherofus。\'

\'Ifhelooksforitandmissesit，partner，\'suggestedWegg，\'whatshallwedo?\'

\'Firstofall，waittillhedoes，\'saidVenus。

Discreetadvicetoo，forhedarkenedhislanternagain，andthemoundturnedblack。Afterafewseconds，heturnedthelightononcemore，andwasseenstandingatthefootofthesecondmound，slowlyraisingthelanternlittlebylittleuntilhehelditupatarm\'slength，asifhewereexaminingtheconditionofthewholesurface。

\'Thatcan\'tbethespottoo?\'saidVenus。

\'No，\'saidWegg，\'he\'sgettingcold。\'

\'Itstrikesme，\'whisperedVenus，\'thathewantstofindoutwhetheranyonehasbeengropingaboutthere。\'

\'Hush！\'returnedWegg，\'he\'sgettingcolderandcolder——Nowhe\'sfreezing！\'

Thisexclamationwaselicitedbyhishavingturnedthelanternoffagain，andonagain，andbeingvisibleatthefootofthethirdmound。

\'Why，he\'sgoingupit！\'saidVenus。

\'Shovelandall！\'saidWegg。

Atanimblertrot，asiftheshoveloverhisshoulderstimulatedhimbyrevivingoldassociations，MrBoffinascendedthe\'serpentiningwalk\'，uptheMoundwhichhehaddescribedtoSilasWeggontheoccasionoftheirbeginningtodeclineandfall。Onstrikingintoitheturnedhislanternoff。Thetwofollowedhim，stoopinglow，sothattheirfiguresmightmakenomarkinreliefagainsttheskywhenheshouldturnhislanternonagain。MrVenustookthelead，towingMrWegg，inorderthathisrefractorylegmightbepromptlyextricatedfromanypitfallsitshoulddigforitself。TheycouldjustmakeoutthattheGoldenDustmanstoppedtobreathe。

Ofcoursetheystoppedtoo，instantly。

\'ThisishisownMound，\'whisperedWegg，asherecoveredhiswind，\'thisone。

\'Whyallthreearehisown，\'returnedVenus。

\'Sohethinks；buthe\'susedtocallthishisown，becauseit\'stheonefirstlefttohim；theonethatwashislegacywhenitwasallhetookunderthewill。\'

\'Whenheshowshislight，\'saidVenus，keepingwatchuponhisduskyfigureallthetime，\'droplowerandkeepcloser。\'

Hewentonagain，andtheyfollowedagain。GainingthetopoftheMound，heturnedonhislight——butonlypartially——andstooditontheground。Abarelopsidedweatherbeatenpolewasplantedintheashesthere，andhadbeentheremanyayear。Hardbythispole，hislanternstood:lightingafewfeetofthelowerpartofitandalittleoftheashysurfacearound，andthencastingoffapurposelesslittlecleartrailoflightintotheair。

\'Hecanneverbegoingtodigupthepole！\'whisperedVenusastheydroppedlowandkeptclose。

\'Perhapsit\'shollerandfullofsomething，\'whisperedWegg。

Hewasgoingtodig，withwhatsoeverobject，forhetuckeduphiscuffsandspatonhishands，andthenwentatitlikeanolddiggerashewas。Hehadnodesignuponthepole，exceptthathemeasuredashovel\'slengthfromitbeforebeginning，norwasithispurposetodigdeep。Somedozenorsoofexpertstrokessufficed。

Then，hestopped，lookeddownintothecavity，bentoverit，andtookoutwhatappearedtobeanordinarycase-bottle:oneofthosesquat，high-shouldered，short-neckedglassbottleswhichtheDutchmanissaidtokeephisCouragein。Assoonashehaddonethis，heturnedoffhislantern，andtheycouldhearthathewasfillinguptheholeinthedark。Theashesbeingeasilymovedbyaskilfulhand，thespiestookthisasahinttomakeoffingoodtime。

Accordingly，MrVenusslippedpastMrWeggandtowedhimdown。ButMrWegg\'sdescentwasnotaccomplishedwithoutsomepersonalinconvenience，forhisself-willedlegstickingintotheashesabouthalfwaydown，andtimepressing，MrVenustookthelibertyofhaulinghimfromhistetherbythecollar:whichoccasionedhimtomaketherestofthejourneyonhisback，withhisheadenvelopedintheskirtsofhiscoat，andhiswoodenlegcominglast，likeadrag。SoflusteredwasMrWeggbythismodeoftravelling，thatwhenhewassetonthelevelgroundwithhisintellectualdevelopmentsuppermost，hewasquiteunconsciousofhisbearings，andhadnottheleastideawherehisplaceofresidencewastobefound，untilMrVenusshovedhimintoit。

Eventhenhestaggeredroundandround，weaklystaringabouthim，untilMrVenuswithahardbrushbrushedhissensesintohimandthedustoutofhim。

MrBoffincamedownleisurely，forthisbrushingprocesshadbeenwellaccomplished，andMrVenushadhadtimetotakehisbreath，beforehereappeared。Thathehadthebottlesomewhereabouthimcouldnotbedoubted；where，wasnotsoclear。Heworealargeroughcoat，buttonedover，anditmightbeinanyoneofhalfadozenpockets。

\'What\'sthematter，Wegg?\'saidMrBoffin。\'Youareaspaleasacandle。\'

MrWeggreplied，withliteralexactness，thathefeltasifhehadhadaturn。

\'Bile，\'saidMrBoffin，blowingoutthelightinthelantern，shuttingitup，andstowingitawayinthebreastofhiscoatasbefore。\'Areyousubjecttobile，Wegg?\'

MrWeggagainreplied，withstrictadherencetotruth，thathedidn\'tthinkhehadeverhadasimilarsensationinhishead，toanythinglikethesameextent。

\'Physicyourselfto-morrow，Wegg，\'saidMrBoffin，\'tobeinorderfornextnight。By-the-by，thisneighbourhoodisgoingtohavealoss，Wegg。\'

\'Aloss，sir?\'

\'GoingtolosetheMounds。\'

Thefriendlymoversmadesuchanobviouseffortnottolookatoneanother，thattheymightaswellhavestaredatoneanotherwithalltheirmight。

\'Haveyoupartedwiththem，MrBoffin?\'askedSilas。

\'Yes；they\'regoing。Mine\'sasgoodasgonealready。\'

\'Youmeanthelittleoneofthethree，withthepoleatop，sir。\'

\'Yes，\'saidMrBoffin，rubbinghisearinhisoldway，withthatnewtouchofcraftinessaddedtoit。\'Ithasfetchedapenny。It\'llbegintobecartedoffto-morrow。\'

\'Haveyoubeenouttotakeleaveofyouroldfriend，sir?\'askedSilas，jocosely。

\'No，\'saidMrBoffin。\'Whatthedevilputthatinyourhead?\'

Hewassosuddenandrough，thatWegg，whohadbeenhoveringcloserandclosertohisskirts，despatchingthebackofhishandonexploringexpeditionsinsearchofthebottle\'ssurface，retiredtwoorthreepaces。

\'Nooffence，sir，\'saidWegg，humbly。\'Nooffence。\'

MrBoffineyedhimasadogmighteyeanotherdogwhowantedhisbone；andactuallyretortedwithalowgrowl，asthedogmighthaveretorted。

\'Good-night，\'hesaid，afterhavingsunkintoamoodysilence，withhishandsclaspedbehindhim，andhiseyessuspiciouslywanderingaboutWegg——\'No！stopthere。Iknowthewayout，andIwantnolight。\'

Avarice，andtheevening\'slegendsofavarice，andtheinflammatoryeffectofwhathehadseen，andperhapstherushofhisill-conditionedbloodtohisbraininhisdescent，wroughtSilasWeggtosuchapitchofinsatiableappetite，thatwhenthedoorclosedhemadeaswoopatitanddrewVenusalongwithhim。

\'Hemustn\'tgo，\'hecried。\'Wemustn\'tlethimgo?Hehasgotthatbottleabouthim。Wemusthavethatbottle。\'

\'Why，youwouldn\'ttakeitbyforce?\'saidVenus，restraininghim。

\'Wouldn\'tI?YesIwould。I\'dtakeitbyanyforce，I\'dhaveitatanyprice！Areyousoafraidofoneoldmanastolethimgo，youcoward?\'

\'Iamsoafraidofyou，asnottoletYOUgo，\'mutteredVenus，sturdily，claspinghiminhisarms。

\'Didyouhearhim?\'retortedWegg。\'Didyouhearhimsaythathewasresolvedtodisappointus?Didyouhearhimsay，youcur，thathewasgoingtohavetheMoundsclearedoff，whennodoubtthewholeplacewillberummaged?Ifyouhaven\'tthespiritofamousetodefendyourrights，Ihave。Letmegoafterhim。\'

Asinhiswildnesshewasmakingastrongstruggleforit，MrVenusdeemeditexpedienttolifthim，throwhim，andfallwithhim；wellknowingthat，oncedown，hewouldnotheupagaineasilywithhiswoodenleg。Sotheybothrolledonthefloor，and，astheydidso，MrBoffinshutthegate。

Chapter7

THEFRIENDLYMOVETAKESUPASTRONGPOSITION

Thefriendlymoverssatuprightonthefloor，pantingandeyeingoneanother，afterMrBoffinhadslammedthegateandgoneaway。

IntheweakeyesofVenus，andineveryreddishdust-colouredhairinhisshockofhair，therewasamarkeddistrustofWeggandanalertnesstoflyathimonperceivingthesmallestoccasion。Inthehard-grainedfaceofWegg，andinhisstiffknottyfigure(helookedlikeaGermanwoodentoy)，therewasexpressedapoliticconciliation，whichhadnospontaneityinit。Bothwereflushed，flustered，andrumpled，bythelatescuffle；andWegg，incomingtotheground，hadreceivedahummingknockonthebackofhisdevotedhead，whichcausedhimstilltorubitwithanairofhavingbeenhighly——butdisagreeably——astonished。Eachwassilentforsometime，leavingittotheothertobegin。

\'Brother，\'saidWegg，atlengthbreakingthesilence，\'youwereright，andIwaswrong。Iforgotmyself。\'

MrVenusknowinglycockedhisshockofhair，asratherthinkingMrWegghadrememberedhimself，inrespectofappearingwithoutanydisguise。

\'Butcomrade，\'pursuedWegg，\'itwasneveryourlottoknowMissElizabeth，MasterGeorge，AuntJane，norUncleParker。\'

MrVenusadmittedthathehadneverknownthosedistinguishedpersons，andadded，ineffect，thathehadneversomuchasdesiredthehonouroftheiracquaintance。

\'Don\'tsaythat，comrade！\'retortedWegg:\'No，don\'tsaythat！

Because，withouthavingknownthem，younevercanfullyknowwhatitistobestimilatedtofrenzybythesightoftheUsurper。\'

Offeringtheseexcusatorywordsasiftheyreflectedgreatcreditonhimself，MrWeggimpelledhimselfwithhishandstowardsachairinacorneroftheroom，andthere，afteravarietyofawkwardgambols，attainedaperpendicularposition。MrVenusalsorose。

\'Comrade，\'saidWegg，\'takeaseat。Comrade，whataspeakingcountenanceisyours！\'

MrVenusinvoluntarilysmoothedhiscountenance，andlookedathishand，asiftoseewhetheranyofitsspeakingpropertiescameoff。

\'ForclearlydoIknow，markyou，\'pursuedWegg，pointinghiswordswithhisforefinger，\'clearlydoIknowwhatquestionyourexpressivefeaturesputstome。\'

\'Whatquestion?\'saidVenus。

\'Thequestion，\'returnedWegg，withasortofjoyfulaffability，\'whyIdidn\'tmentionsooner，thatIhadfoundsomething。Saysyourspeakingcountenancetome:“Whydidn\'tyoucommunicatethat，whenIfirstcomeinthisevening?WhydidyoukeepitbacktillyouthoughtMrBoffinhadcometolookforthearticle?“Yourspeakingcountenance，\'saidWegg，\'putsitplainerthanlanguage。

Now，youcan\'treadinmyfacewhatanswerIgive?\'

\'No，Ican\'t，\'saidVenus。

\'Iknewit！Andwhynot?\'returnedWegg，withthesamejoyfulcandour。\'BecauseIlaynoclaimstoaspeakingcountenance。

BecauseIamwellawareofmydeficiencies。Allmenarenotgiftedalike。ButIcananswerinwords。Andinwhatwords?

These。Iwantedtogiveyouadelightfulsap——pur——IZE！\'

HavingthuselongatedandemphasizedthewordSurprise，MrWeggshookhisfriendandbrotherbybothhands，andthenclappedhimonbothknees，likeanaffectionatepatronwhoentreatedhimnottomentionsosmallaserviceasthatwhichithadbeenhishappyprivilegetorender。

\'Yourspeakingcountenance，\'saidWegg，\'beingansweredtoitssatisfaction，onlyasksthen，“Whathaveyoufound?“Why，Ihearitsaythewords！\'

\'Well?\'retortedVenussnappishly，afterwaitinginvain。\'Ifyouhearitsaythewords，whydon\'tyouanswerit?\'

\'Hearmeout！\'saidWegg。\'I\'ma-goingto。Hearmeout！Manandbrother，partnerinfeelingsequallywithundertakingsandactions，I

havefoundacash-box。\'

\'Where?\'

\'——Hearmeout！\'saidWegg。(Hetriedtoreservewhateverhecould，and，wheneverdisclosurewasforceduponhim，brokeintoaradiantgushofHearmeout。)\'Onacertainday，sir——\'

\'When?\'saidVenusbluntly。

\'N——no，\'returnedWegg，shakinghisheadatonceobservantly，thoughtfully，andplayfully。\'No，sir！That\'snotyourexpressivecountenancewhichasksthatquestion。That\'syourvoice；merelyyourvoice。Toproceed。Onacertainday，sir，Ihappenedtobewalkingintheyard——takingmylonelyround——forinthewordsofafriendofmyownfamily，theauthorofAll\'sWellarrangedasaduett:

“Deserted，asyouwillrememberMrVenus，bythewaningmoon，Whenstars，itwilloccurtoyoubeforeImentionit，proclaimnight\'scheerlessnoon，Ontower，fort，ortentedground，Thesentrywalkshislonelyround，Thesentrywalks:“——

underthosecircumstances，sir，Ihappenedtobewalkingintheyardearlyoneafternoon，andhappenedtohaveanironrodinmyhand，withwhichIhavebeensometimesaccustomedtobeguilethemonotonyofaliterarylife，whenIstruckitagainstanobjectnotnecessarytotroubleyoubynaming——\'

\'Itisnecessary。Whatobject?\'demandedVenus，inawrathfultone。

\'——Hearmeout！\'saidWegg。\'ThePump——WhenIstruckitagainstthePump，andfound，notonlythatthetopwaslooseandopenedwithalid，butthatsomethinginitrattled。Thatsomething，comrade，Idiscoveredtobeasmallflatoblongcash-box。ShallI

sayitwasdisappintinglylight?\'

\'Therewerepapersinit，\'saidVenus。

\'Thereyourexpressivecountenancespeaksindeed！\'criedWegg。

\'Apaper。Theboxwaslocked，tiedup，andsealed，andontheoutsidewasaparchmentlabel，withthewriting，“MYWILL，JOHNHARMON，TEMPORARILYDEPOSITEDHERE。”\'

\'Wemustknowitscontents，\'saidVenus。

\'——Hearmeout！\'criedWegg。\'Isaidso，andIbroketheboxopen。

\'Withoutcomingtome！\'exclaimedVenus。

\'Exactlyso，sir！\'returnedWegg，blandlyandbuoyantly。\'IseeI

takeyouwithme！Hear，hear，hear！Resolved，asyourdiscriminatinggoodsenseperceives，thatifyouwastohaveasap——

pur——IZE，itshouldbeacompleteone！Well，sir。Andso，asyouhavehonouredmebyanticipating，Iexaminedthedocument。

Regularlyexecuted，regularlywitnessed，veryshort。Inasmuchashehasnevermadefriends，andhaseverhadarebelliousfamily，he，JohnHarmon，givestoNicodemusBoffintheLittleMound，whichisquiteenoughforhim，andgivesthewholerestandresidueofhispropertytotheCrown。\'

\'Thedateofthewillthathasbeenproved，mustbelookedto，\'

remarkedVenus。\'Itmaybelaterthanthisone。\'

\'——Hearmeout！\'criedWegg。\'Isaidso。Ipaidashilling(nevermindyoursixpenceofit)tolookupthatwill。Brother，thatwillisdatedmonthsbeforethiswill。Andnow，asafellow-man，andasapartnerinafriendlymove，\'addedWegg，benignantlytakinghimbybothhandsagain，andclappinghimonbothkneesagain，\'sayhaveIcompletedmylabouroflovetoyourperfectsatisfaction，andareyousap——pur——IZED?\'

MrVenuscontemplatedhisfellow-manandpartnerwithdoubtingeyes，andthenrejoinedstiffly:

\'Thisisgreatnewsindeed，MrWegg。There\'snodenyingit。ButI

couldhavewishedyouhadtolditmebeforeyougotyourfrightto-

night，andIcouldhavewishedyouhadeveraskedmeasyourpartnerwhatweweretodo，beforeyouthoughtyouweredividingaresponsibility。\'

\'——Hearmeout！\'criedWegg。\'Iknewyouwasa-goingtosayso。

ButaloneIboretheanxiety，andaloneI\'llbeartheblame！\'Thiswithanairofgreatmagnanimity。

\'No，\'saidVenus。\'Let\'sseethiswillandthisbox。\'

\'DoIunderstand，brother，\'returnedWeggwithconsiderablereluctance，\'thatitisyourwishtoseethiswillandthis——?\'

MrVenussmotethetablewithhishand。

\'——Hearmeout！\'saidWegg。\'Hearmeout！I\'llgoandfetch\'em。\'

Afterbeingsometimeabsent，asifinhiscovetousnesshecouldhardlymakeuphismindtoproducethetreasuretohispartner，hereturnedwithanoldleathernhat-box，intowhichhehadputtheotherbox，forthebetterpreservationofcommonplaceappearances，andforthedisarmingofsuspicion。\'ButIdon\'thalflikeopeningithere，\'saidSilasinalowvoice，lookingaround:\'hemightcomeback，hemaynotbegone；wedon\'tknowwhathemaybeupto，afterwhatwe\'veseen。\'

\'There\'ssomethinginthat，\'assentedVenus。\'Cometomyplace。\'

Jealousofthecustodyofthebox，andyetfearfulofopeningitundertheexistingcircumstances，Wegghesitated。\'Come，Itellyou，\'repeatedVenus，chafing，\'tomyplace。\'Notverywellseeinghiswaytoarefusal，MrWeggthenrejoinedinagush，\'——Hearmeout！——Certainly。\'SohelockeduptheBowerandtheysetforth:MrVenustakinghisarm，andkeepingitwithremarkabletenacity。

TheyfoundtheusualdimlightburninginthewindowofMrVenus\'sestablishment，imperfectlydisclosingtothepublictheusualpairofpreservedfrogs，swordinhand，withtheirpointofhonourstillunsettled。MrVenushadclosedhisshopdooroncomingout，andnowopeneditwiththekeyandshutitagainassoonastheywerewithin；butnotbeforehehadputupandbarredtheshuttersoftheshopwindow。\'Noonecangetinwithoutbeingletin，\'saidhethen，\'andwecouldn\'tbemoresnugthanhere。\'Soherakedtogethertheyetwarmcindersintherustygrate，andmadeafire，andtrimmedthecandleonthelittlecounter。Asthefirecastitsflickeringgleamshereandthereuponthedarkgreasywalls；theHindoobaby，theAfricanbaby，thearticulatedEnglishbaby，theassortmentofskulls，andtherestofthecollection，camestartingtotheirvariousstationsasiftheyhadallbeenout，liketheirmasterandwerepunctualinageneralrendezvoustoassistatthesecret。

TheFrenchgentlemanhadgrownconsiderablysinceMrWegglastsawhim，beingnowaccommodatedwithapairoflegsandahead，thoughhisarmswereyetinabeyance。Towhomsoevertheheadhadoriginallybelonged，SilasWeggwouldhaveregardeditasapersonalfavourifhehadnotcutquitesomanyteeth。

Silastookhisseatinsilenceonthewoodenboxbeforethefire，andVenusdroppingintohislowchairproducedfromamonghisskeletonhands，histea-trayandtea-cups，andputthekettleon。

Silasinwardlyapprovedofthesepreparations，trustingtheymightendinMrVenus\'sdilutinghisintellect。

\'Now，sir，\'saidVenus，\'allissafeandquiet。Letusseethisdiscovery。\'

Withstillreluctanthands，andnotwithoutseveralglancestowardstheskeletonhands，asifhemistrustedthatacoupleofthemmightspringforthandclutchthedocument，Weggopenedthehat-boxandrevealedthecash-box，openedthecash-boxandrevealedthewill。Heheldacornerofittight，whileVenus，takingholdofanothercorner，searchinglyandattentivelyreadit。

\'WasIcorrectinmyaccountofit，partner?\'saidMrWeggatlength。

\'Partner，youwere，\'saidMrVenus。

MrWeggthereuponmadeaneasy，gracefulmovement，asthoughhewouldfolditup；butMrVenusheldonbyhiscorner。

\'No，sir，\'saidMrVenus，winkinghisweakeyesandshakinghishead。\'No，partner。Thequestionisnowbroughtup，whoisgoingtotakecareofthis。Doyouknowwhoisgoingtotakecareofthis，partner?\'

\'Iam，\'saidWegg。

\'Ohdearno，partner，\'retortedVenus。\'That\'samistake。Iam。

Nowlookhere，MrWegg。Idon\'twanttohaveanywordswithyou，andstilllessdoIwanttohaveanyanatomicalpursuitswithyou。\'

\'Whatdoyoumean?\'saidWegg，quickly。

\'Imean，partner，\'repliedVenus，slowly，\'thatit\'shardlypossibleforamantofeelinamoreamiablestatetowardsanothermanthanIdotowardsyouatthispresentmoment。ButIamonmyownground，Iamsurroundedbythetrophiesofmyart，andmytoolsisveryhandy。\'

\'Whatdoyoumean，MrVenus?\'askedWeggagain。

\'Iamsurrounded，asIhaveobserved，\'saidMrVenus，placidly，\'bythetrophiesofmyart。Theyarenumerous，mystockofhumanwariousislarge，theshopisprettywellcrammed，andIdon\'tjustnowwantanymoretrophiesofmyart。ButIlikemyart，andI

knowhowtoexercisemyart。\'

\'Nomanbetter，\'assentedMrWegg，withasomewhatstaggeredair。

\'There\'stheMiscellaniesofseveralhumanspecimens，\'saidVenus，\'(thoughyoumightn\'tthinkit)intheboxonwhichyou\'resitting。

There\'stheMiscellaniesofseveralhumanspecimens，inthelovelycompo-onebehindthedoor\'；withanodtowardstheFrenchgentleman。\'Itstillwantsapairofarms。IDON\'TsaythatI\'minanyhurryfor\'em。\'

\'Youmustbewanderinginyourmind，partner，\'Silasremonstrated。

\'You\'llexcusemeifIwander，\'returnedVenus；\'Iamsometimesrathersubjecttoit。Ilikemyart，andIknowhowtoexercisemyart，andImeantohavethekeepingofthisdocument。\'

\'Butwhathasthatgottodowithyourart，partner?\'askedWegg，inaninsinuatingtone。

MrVenuswinkedhischronically-fatiguedeyesbothatonce，andadjustingthekettleonthefire，remarkedtohimself，inahollowvoice，\'She\'llbileinacoupleofminutes。\'

SilasWeggglancedatthekettle，glancedattheshelves，glancedattheFrenchgentlemanbehindthedoor，andshrankalittleasheglancedatMrVenuswinkinghisredeyes，andfeelinginhiswaistcoatpocket——asforalancet，say——withhisunoccupiedhand。

HeandVenuswerenecessarilyseatedclosetogether，aseachheldacornerofthedocument，whichwasbutacommonsheetofpaper。

\'Partner，\'saidWegg，evenmoreinsinuatinglythanbefore，\'I

proposethatwecutitinhalf，andeachkeepahalf。\'

Venusshookhisshockofhair，ashereplied，\'Itwouldn\'tdotomutilateit，partner。Itmightseemtobecancelled。\'

\'Partner，\'saidWegg，afterasilence，duringwhichtheyhadcontemplatedoneanother，\'don\'tyourspeakingcountenancesaythatyou\'rea-goingtosuggestamiddlecourse?\'

Venusshookhisshockofhairashereplied，\'Partner，youhavekeptthispaperfrommeonce。Youshallneverkeepitfrommeagain。Iofferyoutheboxandthelabeltotakecareof，butI\'lltakecareofthepaper。\'

Silashesitatedalittlelonger，andthensuddenlyreleasinghiscorner，andresuminghisbuoyantandbenignanttone，exclaimed，\'What\'slifewithouttrustfulness！What\'safellow-manwithouthonour！You\'rewelcometoit，partner，inaspiritoftrustandconfidence。\'

Continuingtowinkhisredeyesbothtogether——butinaself-

communingway，andwithoutanyshowoftriumph——MrVenusfoldedthepapernowleftinhishand，andlockeditinadrawerbehindhim，andpocketedthekey。Hethenproposed\'Acupoftea，partner?\'TowhichMrWeggreturned，\'Thank\'ee，partner，\'andtheteawasmadeandpouredout。

\'Next，\'saidVenus，blowingathisteainhissaucer，andlookingoveritathisconfidentialfriend，\'comesthequestion，What\'sthecoursetobepursued?\'

Onthishead，SilasWegghadmuchtosay。SilashadtosayThat，hewouldbegtoremindhiscomrade，brother，andpartner，oftheimpressivepassagestheyhadreadthatevening；oftheevidentparallelinMrBoffin\'smindbetweenthemandthelateowneroftheBower，andthepresentcircumstancesoftheBower；ofthebottle；andofthebox。That，thefortunesofhisbrotherandcomrade，andofhimselfwereevidentlymade，inasmuchastheyhadbuttoputtheirpriceuponthisdocument，andgetthatpricefromtheminionoffortuneandthewormofthehour:whonowappearedtobelessofaminionandmoreofawormthanhadbeenpreviouslysupposed。That，heconsidereditplainthatsuchpricewasstateableinasingleexpressiveword，andthatthewordwas，\'Halves！\'That，thequestionthenarosewhen\'Halves！\'shouldbecalled。That，herehehadaplanofactiontorecommend，withaconditionalclause。That，theplanofactionwasthattheyshouldliebywithpatience；that，theyshouldallowtheMoundstobegraduallylevelledandclearedaway，whileretainingtothemselvestheirpresentopportunityofwatchingtheprocess——whichwouldbe，heconceived，toputthetroubleandcostofdailydigginganddelvinguponsomebodyelse，whiletheymightnightlyturnsuchcompletedisturbanceofthedusttotheaccountoftheirownprivateinvestigations——andthat，whentheMoundsweregone，andtheyhadworkedthosechancesfortheirownjointbenefitsolely，theyshouldthen，andnotbefore，explodeontheminionandworm。Butherecametheconditionalclause，andtothisheentreatedthespecialattentionofhiscomrade，brother，andpartner。Itwasnottobebornethattheminionandwormshouldcarryoffanyofthatpropertywhichwasnowtoberegardedastheirownproperty。

Whenhe，MrWegg，hadseentheminionsurreptitiouslymakingoffwiththatbottle，anditspreciouscontentsunknown，hehadlookeduponhiminthelightofamererobber，and，assuch，wouldhavedespoiledhimofhisill-gottengain，butforthejudiciousinterferenceofhiscomrade，brother，andpartner。Therefore，theconditionalclauseheproposedwas，that，iftheminionshouldreturninhislatesneakingmanner，andif，beingcloselywatched，heshouldbefoundtopossesshimselfofanything，nomatterwhat，thesharpswordimpendingoverhisheadshouldbeinstantlyshownhim，heshouldbestrictlyexaminedastowhathekneworsuspected，shouldbeseverelyhandledbythemhismasters，andshouldbekeptinastateofabjectmoralbondageandslaveryuntilthetimewhentheyshouldseefittopermithimtopurchasehisfreedomatthepriceofhalfhispossessions。If，saidMrWeggbywayofperoration，hehaderredinsayingonly\'Halves！\'hetrustedtohiscomrade，brother，andpartnernottohesitatetosethimright，andtoreprovehisweakness。Itmightbemoreaccordingtotherightsofthings，tosayTwo-thirds；itmightbemoreaccordingtotherightsofthings，tosayThree-fourths。Onthosepointshewaseveropentocorrection。

MrVenus，havingwaftedhisattentiontothisdiscourseoverthreesuccessivesaucersoftea，signifiedhisconcurrenceintheviewsadvanced。Inspiritedhereby，MrWeggextendedhisrighthand，anddeclaredittobeahandwhichneveryet。Withoutenteringintomoreminuteparticulars。MrVenus，stickingtohistea，brieflyprofessedhisbelietaspoliteformsrequiredofhim，thatitWASahandwhichneveryet。Butcontentedhimselfwithlookingatit，anddidnottakeittohisbosom。

\'Brother，\'saidWegg，whenthishappyunderstandingwasestablished，\'Ishouldliketoaskyousomething。YourememberthenightwhenIfirstlookedinhere，andfoundyoufloatingyourpowerfulmindintea?\'

Stillswillingtea，MrVenusnoddedassent。

\'Andthereyousit，sir，\'pursuedWeggwithanairofthoughtfuladmiration，\'asifyouhadneverleftoff！Thereyousit，sir，asifyouhadanunlimitedcapacityofassimilatingtheflagrantarticle！

Thereyousit，sir，inthemidstofyourworks，lookingasifyou\'dbeencalleduponforHome，SweetHome，andwasobleegingthecompany！

“Aexilefromhomesplendourdazzlesinvain，OgiveyouyourlowlyPreparationsagain，Thebirdsstuffedsosweetlythatcan\'tbeexpectedtocomeatyourcall，Giveyouthesewiththepeaceofminddearerthanall。

Home，Home，Home，sweetHome！“——

Beitever，\'addedMrWegginproseasheglancedabouttheshop，\'eversoghastly，allthingsconsideredthere\'snoplacelikeit。\'

\'Yousaidyou\'dliketoasksomething；butyouhaven\'taskedit，\'

remarkedVenus，veryunsympatheticinmanner。

\'Yourpeaceofmind，\'saidWegg，offeringcondolence，\'yourpeaceofmindwasinapoorwaythatnight。HOW\'Sitgoingon?ISitlookingupatall?\'

\'Shedoesnotwish，\'repliedMrVenuswithacomicalmixtureofindignantobstinacyandtendermelancholy，\'toregardherself，noryettoberegarded，inthatparticularlight。There\'snomoretobesaid。\'

\'Ah，dearme，dearme！\'exclaimedWeggwithasigh，buteyeinghimwhilepretendingtokeephimcompanyineyeingthefire，\'suchisWoman！AndIrememberyousaidthatnight，sittingthereasI

sathere——saidthatnightwhenyourpeaceofmindwasfirstlaidlow，thatyouhadtakenaninterestintheseveryaffairs。Suchiscoincidence！\'

\'Herfather，\'rejoinedVenus，andthenstoppedtoswallowmoretea，\'herfatherwasmixedupinthem。\'

\'Youdidn\'tmentionhername，sir，Ithink?\'observedWegg，pensively。\'No，youdidn\'tmentionhernamethatnight。\'

\'PleasantRiderhood。\'

\'In——deed！\'criedWegg。\'PleasantRiderhood。There\'ssomethingmovinginthename。Pleasant。Dearme！Seemstoexpresswhatshemighthavebeen，ifshehadn\'tmadethatunpleasantremark——

andwhatsheain\'t，inconsequenceofhavingmadeit。Woulditatallpourbalmintoyourwounds，MrVenus，toinquirehowyoucameacquaintedwithher?\'

\'Iwasdownatthewater-side，\'saidVenus，takinganothergulpofteaandmournfullywinkingatthefire——\'lookingforparrots\'——takinganothergulpandstopping。

MrWegghinted，tojoghisattention:\'Youcouldhardlyhavebeenoutparrot-shooting，intheBritishclimate，sir?\'

\'No，no，no，\'saidVenusfretfully。\'Iwasdownatthewater-side，lookingforparrotsbroughthomebysailors，tobuyforstuffing。\'

\'Ay，ay，ay，sir！\'

\'——Andlookingforanicepairofrattlesnakes，toarticulateforaMuseum——whenIwasdoomedtofallinwithheranddealwithher。

Itwasjustatthetimeofthatdiscoveryintheriver。Herfatherhadseenthediscoverybeingtowedintheriver。Imadethepopularityofthesubjectareasonforgoingbacktoimprovetheacquaintance，andIhaveneversincebeenthemanIwas。Myverybonesisrenderedflabbybybroodingoverit。Iftheycouldbebroughttomeloose，tosort，Ishouldhardlyhavethefacetoclaim\'emasmine。

TosuchanextenthaveIfallenoffunderit。\'

MrWegg，lessinterestedthanhehadbeen，glancedatoneparticularshelfinthedark。

\'WhyIremember，MrVenus，\'hesaidinatoneoffriendlycommiseration\'(forIremembereverywordthatfallsfromyou，sir)，Irememberthatyousaidthatnight，youhadgotupthere——andthenyourwordswas，“Nevermind。”\'

\'——TheparrotthatIboughtofher，\'saidVenus，withadespondentriseandfallofhiseyes。\'Yes；thereitliesonitsside，driedup；

exceptforitsplumage，verylikemyself。I\'veneverhadthehearttoprepareit，andInevershallhavenow。\'

Withadisappointedface，Silasmentallyconsignedthisparrottoregionsmorethantropical，and，seemingforthetimetohavelosthispowerofassuminganinterestinthewoesofMrVenus，felltotighteninghiswoodenlegasapreparationfordeparture:itsgymnasticperformancesofthateveninghavingseverelytrieditsconstitution。

AfterSilashadlefttheshop，hat-boxinhand，andhadleftMrVenustolowerhimselftooblivion-pointwiththerequisiteweightoftea，itgreatlypreyedonhisingenuousmindthathehadtakenthisartistintopartnershipatall。Hebitterlyfeltthathehadoverreachedhimselfinthebeginning，bygraspingatMrVenus\'smerestrawsofhints，nowshowntobeworthlessforhispurpose。

Castingaboutforwaysandmeansofdissolvingtheconnexionwithoutlossofmoney，reproachinghimselfforhavingbeenbetrayedintoanavowalofhissecret，andcomplimentinghimselfbeyondmeasureonhispurelyaccidentalgoodluck，hebeguiledthedistancebetweenClerkenwellandthemansionoftheGoldenDustman。

For，SilasWeggfeltittobequiteoutofthequestionthathecouldlayhisheaduponhispillowinpeace，withoutfirsthoveringoverMrBoffin\'shouseinthesuperiorcharacterofitsEvilGenius。

Power(unlessitbethepowerofintellectorvirtue)haseverthegreatestattractionforthelowestnatures；andthemeredefianceoftheunconscioushouse-front，withhispowertostriptheroofofftheinhabitingfamilyliketheroofofahouseofcards，wasatreatwhichhadacharmforSilasWegg。

Ashehoveredontheoppositesideofthestreet，exulting，thecarriagedroveup。

\'There\'llshortlybeanendofYOU，\'saidWegg，threateningitwiththehat-box。\'YOURvarnishisfading。\'

MrsBoffindescendedandwentin。

\'Lookoutforafall，myLadyDustwoman，\'saidWegg。

Bellalightlydescended，andraninafterher。

\'Howbriskweare！\'saidWegg。\'Youwon\'trunsogailytoyouroldshabbyhome，mygirl。You\'llhavetogothere，though。\'

Alittlewhile，andtheSecretarycameout。

\'Iwaspassedoverforyou，\'saidWegg。\'Butyouhadbetterprovideyourselfwithanothersituation，youngman。\'

MrBoffin\'sshadowpassedupontheblindsofthreelargewindowsashetrotteddowntheroom，andpassedagainashewentback。

\'Yoop！\'criedWegg。\'You\'rethere，areyou?Where\'sthebottle?

Youwouldgiveyourbottleformybox，Dustman！\'

Havingnowcomposedhismindforslumber，heturnedhomeward。

Suchwasthegreedofthefellow，thathismindhadshotbeyondhalves，two-thirds，three-fourths，andgonestraighttospoliationofthewhole。\'Thoughthatwouldn\'tquitedo，\'heconsidered，growingcoolerashegotaway。\'That\'swhatwouldhappentohimifhedidn\'tbuyusup。Weshouldgetnothingbythat。\'

Wesojudgeothersbyourselves，thatithadnevercomeintohisheadbefore，thathemightnotbuyusup，andmightprovehonest，andprefertobepoor。Itcausedhimaslighttremorasitpassed；

butaveryslightone，fortheidlethoughtwasgonedirectly。

\'He\'sgrowntoofondofmoneyforthat，\'saidWegg；\'he\'sgrowntoofondofmoney。\'Theburdenfellintoastrainortuneashestumpedalongthepavements。Allthewayhomehestumpeditoutoftherattlingstreets，PIANOwithhisownfoot，andFORTEwithhiswoodenleg，\'He\'sGROWNtooFONDofMONEYforTHAT，he\'sGROWNtooFONDofMONEY。\'

EvennextdaySilassoothedhimselfwiththismelodiousstrain，whenhewascalledoutofbedatdaybreak，tosetopentheyard-

gateandadmitthetrainofcartsandhorsesthatcametocarryoffthelittleMound。Andalldaylong，ashekeptunwinkingwatchontheslowprocesswhichpromisedtoprotractitselfthroughmanydaysandweeks，whenever(tosavehimselffrombeingchokedwithdust)hepatrolledalittlecinderousbeatheestablishedforthepurpose，withouttakinghiseyesfromthediggers，hestillstumpedtothetune:He\'sGROWNtooFONDofMONEYforTHAT，he\'sGROWNtooFONDofMONEY。\'

Chapter8

THEENDOFALONGJOURNEY

Thetrainofcartsandhorsescameandwentalldayfromdawntonightfall，makinglittleornodailyimpressionontheheapofashes，though，asthedayspassedon，theheapwasseentobeslowlymelting。Mylordsandgentlemenandhonourableboards，whenyouinthecourseofyourdust-shovellingandcinder-rakinghavepiledupamountainofpretentiousfailure，youmustoffwithyourhonourablecoatsfortheremovalofit，andfalltotheworkwiththepowerofallthequeen\'shorsesandallthequeen\'smen，oritwillcomerushingdownandburyusalive。

Yes，verily，mylordsandgentlemenandhonourableboards，adaptingyourCatechismtotheoccasion，andbyGod\'shelpsoyoumust。Forwhenwehavegotthingstothepassthatwithanenormoustreasureatdisposaltorelievethepoor，thebestofthepoordetestourmercies，hidetheirheadsfromus，andshameusbystarvingtodeathinthemidstofus，itisapassimpossibleofprosperity，impossibleofcontinuance。ItmaynotbesowrirtenintheGospelaccordingtoPodsnappery；youmaynot\'findthesewords\'forthetextofasermon，intheReturnsoftheBoardofTrade；buttheyhavebeenthetruthsincethefoundationsoftheuniversewerelaid，andtheywillbethetruthuntilthefoundationsoftheuniverseareshakenbytheBuilder。Thisboastfulhandiworkofours，whichfailsinitsterrorsfortheprofessionalpauper，thesturdybreakerofwindowsandtherampanttearerofclothes，strikeswithacruelandawickedstabatthestrickensufferer，andisahorrortothedeservingandunfortunate。Wemustmendit，lordsandgentlemenandhonourableboards，orinitsownevilhouritwillmareveryoneofus。

OldBettyHigdenfareduponherpilgrimageasmanyruggedlyhonestcreatures，womenandmen，fareontheirtoilingwayalongtheroadsoflife。Patientlytoearnasparebareliving，andquietlytodie，untouchedbyworkhousehands——thiswasherhighestsublunaryhope。

NothinghadbeenheardofheratMrBoffin\'shousesinceshetrudgedoff。Theweatherhadbeenhardandtheroadshadbeenbad，andherspiritwasup。Alessstanchspiritmighthavebeensubduedbysuchadverseinfluences；buttheloanforherlittleoutfitwasinnopartrepaid，andithadgoneworsewithherthanshehadforeseen，andshewasputuponprovinghercaseandmaintainingherindependence。

Faithfulsoul！WhenshehadspokentotheSecretaryofthat\'deadnessthatstealsovermeattimes\'，herfortitudehadmadetoolittleofit。Oftenerandeveroftener，itcamestealingoverher；

darkerandeverdarker，liketheshadowofadvancingDeath。Thattheshadowshouldbedeepasitcameon，liketheshadowofanactualpresence，wasinaccordancewiththelawsofthephysicalworld，foralltheLightthatshoneonBettyHigdenlaybeyondDeath。

ThepooroldcreaturehadtakentheupwardcourseoftheriverThamesashergeneraltrack；itwasthetrackinwhichherlasthomelay，andofwhichshehadlasthadlocalloveandknowledge。

Shehadhoveredforalittlewhileinthenearneighbourhoodofherabandoneddwelling，andhadsold，andknittedandsold，andgoneon。InthepleasanttownsofChertsey，Walton，Kingston，andStaines，herfigurecametobequitewellknownforsomeshortweeks，andthenagainpassedon。

Shewouldtakeherstandinmarket-places，wherethereweresuchthings，onmarketdays；atothertimes，inthebusiest(thatwasseldomverybusy)portionofthelittlequietHighStreet；atstillothertimesshewouldexploretheoutlyingroadsforgreathouses，andwouldaskleaveattheLodgetopassinwithherbasket，andwouldnotoftengetit。Butladiesincarriageswouldfrequentlymakepurchasesfromhertriflingstock，andwereusuallypleasedwithherbrighteyesandherhopefulspeech。Intheseandhercleandressoriginatedafablethatshewaswelltodointheworld:onemightsay，forherstation，rich。Asmakingacomfortableprovisionforitssubjectwhichcostsnobodyanything，thisclassoffablehaslongbeenpopular。

InthosepleasantlittletownsonThames，youmayhearthefallofthewaterovertheweirs，oreven，instillweather，therustleoftherushes；andfromthebridgeyoumayseetheyoungriver，dimpledlikeayoungchild，playfullyglidingawayamongthetrees，unpollutedbythedefilementsthatlieinwaitforitonitscourse，andasyetoutofhearingofthedeepsummonsofthesea。ItweretoomuchtopretendthatBettyHigdenmadeoutsuchthoughts；no；

butsheheardthetenderriverwhisperingtomanylikeherself，\'Cometome，cometome！Whenthecruelshameandterroryouhavesolongfledfrom，mostbesetyou，cometome！IamtheRelievingOfficerappointedbyeternalordinancetodomywork；I

amnotheldinestimationaccordingasIshirkit。Mybreastissofterthanthepauper-nurse\'s；deathinmyarmsispeacefullerthanamongthepauper-wards。Cometome！\'

Therewasabundantplaceforgentlerfanciestoo，inheruntutoredmind。Thosegentlefolksandtheirchildreninsidethosefinehouses，couldtheythink，astheylookedoutather，whatitwastobereallyhungry，reallycold?Didtheyfeelanyofthewonderabouther，thatshefeltaboutthem?Blessthedearlaughingchildren！IftheycouldhaveseensickJohnnyinherarms，wouldtheyhavecriedforpity?IftheycouldhaveseendeadJohnnyonthatlittlebed，wouldtheyhaveunderstoodit?Blessthedearchildrenforhissake，anyhow！Sowiththehumblerhousesinthelittlestreet，theinnerfirelightshiningonthepanesastheoutertwilightdarkened。Whenthefamiliesgatheredin-doorsthere，forthenight，itwasonlyafoolishfancytofeelasifitwerealittlehardinthemtoclosetheshutterandblackentheflame。Sowiththelightedshops，andspeculationswhethertheirmastersandmistressestakingteainaperspectiveofback-parlour——notsofarwithinbutthattheflavourofteaandtoastcameout，mingledwiththeglowoflight，intothestreet——ateordrankorworewhattheysold，withthegreaterrelishbecausetheydealtinit。Sowiththechurchyardonabranchofthesolitarywaytothenight\'ssleeping-

place。\'Ahme！ThedeadandIseemtohaveitprettymuchtoourselvesinthedarkandinthisweather！Butsomuchthebetterforallwhoarewarmlyhousedathome。\'Thepoorsoulenviednooneinbitterness，andgrudgednooneanything。

But，theoldabhorrencegrewstrongeronherasshegrewweaker，anditfoundmoresustainingfoodthanshedidinherwanderings。

Now，shewouldlightupontheshamefulspectacleofsomedesolatecreature——orsomewretchedraggedgroupsofeithersex，orofbothsexes，withchildrenamongthem，huddledtogetherlikethesmallerverminforalittlewarmth——lingeringandlingeringonadoorstep，whiletheappointedevaderofthepublictrustdidhisdirtyofficeoftryingtowearythemoutandsogetridofthem。

Now，shewouldlightuponsomepoordecentperson，likeherself，goingafootonapilgrimageofmanywearymilestoseesomeworn-outrelativeorfriendwhohadbeencharitablyclutchedofftoagreatblankbarrenUnionHouse，asfarfromoldhomeastheCountyJail(theremotenessofwhichisalwaysitsworstpunishmentforsmallruraloffenders)，andinitsdietary，andinitslodging，andinitstendingofthesick，amuchmorepenalestablishment。Sometimesshewouldhearanewspaperreadout，andwouldlearnhowtheRegistrarGeneralcastuptheunitsthathadwithinthelastweekdiedofwantandofexposuretotheweather:forwhichthatRecordingAngelseemedtohavearegularfixedplaceinhissum，asiftheywereitshalfpence。Allsuchthingsshewouldheardiscussed，aswe，mylordsandgentlemenandhonourableboards，inourunapproachablemagnificenceneverhearthem，andfromallsuchthingsshewouldflywiththewingsofragingDespair。

Thisisnottobereceivedasafigureofspeech。OldBettyHigdenhowevertired，howeverfootsore，wouldstartupandbedrivenawaybyherawakenedhorroroffallingintothehandsofCharity。

ItisaremarkableChristianimprovement，tohavemadeapursuingFuryoftheGoodSamaritan；butitwassointhiscase，anditisatypeofmany，many，many。

Twoincidentsunitedtointensifytheoldunreasoningabhorrence——

grantedinapreviousplacetobeunreasoning，becausethepeoplealwaysareunreasoning，andinvaRiahlymakeapointofproducingalltheirsmokewithoutfire。

Onedayshewassittinginamarket-placeonabenchoutsideaninn，withherlittlewaresforsale，whenthedeadnessthatshestroveagainstcameoverhersoheavilythatthescenedepartedfrombeforehereyes；whenitreturned，shefoundherselfontheground，herheadsupportedbysomegood-naturedmarket-women，andalittlecrowdabouther。

\'Areyoubetternow，mother?\'askedoneofthewomen。\'Doyouthinkyoucandonicelynow?\'

\'HaveIbeenillthen?\'askedoldBetty。

\'Youhavehadafaintlike，\'wastheanswer，\'orafit。Itain\'tthatyou\'vebeena-struggling，mother，butyou\'vebeenstiffandnumbed。\'

\'Ah！\'saidBetty，recoveringhermemory。\'It\'sthenumbness。Yes。

Itcomesovermeattimes。\'

Wasitgone?thewomenaskedher。

\'It\'sgonenow，\'saidBetty。\'IshallbestrongerthanIwasafore。

Manythankstoye，mydears，andwhenyoucometobeasoldasI

am，mayothersdoasmuchforyou！\'

Theyassistedhertorise，butshecouldnotstandyet，andtheysupportedherwhenshesatdownagainuponthebench。

\'Myhead\'sabitlight，andmyfeetareabitheavy，\'saidoldBetty，leaningherfacedrowsilyonthebreastofthewomanwhohadspokenbefore。\'They\'llbothcomenat\'ralinaminute。There\'snothingmorethematter。\'

\'Askher，\'saidsomefarmersstandingby，whohadcomeoutfromtheirmarket-dinner，\'whobelongstoher。\'

\'Arethereanyfolksbelongingtoyou，mother?\'saidthewoman。

\'Yessure，\'answeredBetty。\'Iheerdthegentlemansayit，butI

couldn\'tanswerquickenough。There\'splentybelongingtome。

Don\'tyefearforme，mydear。\'

\'Butareanyof\'emnearhere?\'saidthemen\'svoices；thewomen\'svoiceschiminginwhenitwassaid，andprolongingthestrain。

\'Quitenearenough，\'saidBetty，rousingherself。\'Don\'tyebeafeardforme，neighbours。\'

\'Butyouarenotfittotravel。Whereareyougoing?\'wasthenextcompassionatechorussheheard。

\'I\'magoingtoLondonwhenI\'vesoldoutall，\'saidBetty，risingwithdifficulty。\'I\'verightgoodfriendsinLondon。Iwantfornothing。Ishallcometonoharm。Thankye。Don\'tyebeafeardforme。\'

Awell-meaningbystander，yellow-leggingedandpurple-faced，saidhoarselyoverhisredcomforter，assherosetoherfeet，thatshe\'oughtn\'ttobelettogo\'。

\'FortheLord\'slovedon\'tmeddlewithme！\'criedoldBetty，allherfearscrowdingonher。\'Iamquitewellnow，andImustgothisminute。\'

Shecaughtupherbasketasshespokeandwasmakinganunsteadyrushawayfromthem，whenthesamebystandercheckedherwithhishandonhersleeve，andurgedhertocomewithhimandseetheparish-doctor。Strengtheningherselfbytheutmostexerciseofherresolution，thepoortremblingcreatureshookhimoff，almostfiercely，andtooktoflight。Nordidshefeelsafeuntilshehadsetamileortwoofby-roadbetweenherselfandthemarketplace，andhadcreptintoacopse，likeahuntedanimal，tohideandrecoverbreath。Notuntilthenforthefirsttimedidsheventuretorecallhowshehadlookedoverhershoulderbeforeturningoutofthetown，andhadseenthesignoftheWhiteLionhangingacrosstheroad，andtheflutteringmarketbooths，andtheoldgreychurch，andthelittlecrowdgazingafterherbutnotattemptingtofollowher。

Thesecondfrighteningincidentwasthis。Shehadbeenagainasbad，andhadbeenforsomedaysbetter，andwastravellingalongbyapartoftheroadwhereittouchedtheriver，andinwetseasonswassooftenoverflowedbyitthatthereweretallwhitepostssetuptomarktheway。Abargewasbeingtowedtowardsher，andshesatdownonthebanktorestandwatchit。Asthetow-ropewasslackenedbyaturnofthestreamanddippedintothewater，suchaconfusionstoleintohermindthatshethoughtshesawtheformsofherdeadchildrenanddeadgrandchildrenpeoplingthebarge，andwavingtheirhandstoherinsolemnmeasure；then，astheropetightenedandcameup，droppingdiamonds，itseemedtovibrateintotwoparallelropesandstrikeher，withatwang，thoughitwasfaroff。Whenshelookedagain，therewasnobarge，noriver，nodaylight，andamanwhomshehadneverbeforeseenheldacandleclosetoherface。

\'Now，Missis，\'saidhe；\'wheredidyoucomefromandwhereareyougoingto?\'

Thepoorsoulconfusedlyaskedthecounter-questionwhereshewas?

\'IamtheLock，\'saidtheman。

\'TheLock?\'

\'IamtheDeputyLock，onjob，andthisistheLock-house。(LockorDeputyLock，it\'sallone，whilethet\'otherman\'sinthehospital。)

What\'syourParish?\'

\'Parish！\'Shewasupfromthetruckle-beddirectly，wildlyfeelingaboutherforherbasket，andgazingathiminaffright。

\'You\'llbeaskedthequestiondowntown，\'saidtheman。\'Theywon\'tletyoubemorethanaCasualthere。They\'llpassyouontoyoursettlement，Missis，withallspeed。You\'renotinastatetobeletcomeuponstrangeparishes\'ceptinasaCasual。\'

\'\'Twasthedeadnessagain！\'murmuredBettyHigden，withherhandtoherhead。

\'Itwasthedeadness，there\'snotadoubtaboutit，\'returnedtheman。

\'Ishouldhavethoughtthedeadnesswasamildwordforit，ifithadbeennamedtomewhenwebroughtyouin。Haveyougotanyfriends，Missis?\'

\'Thebestoffriends，Master。\'

\'Ishouldrecommendyourlooking\'emupifyouconsider\'emgametodoanythingforyou，\'saidtheDeputyLock。\'Haveyougotanymoney?\'

\'Justamorselofmoney，sir。\'

\'Doyouwanttokeepit?\'

\'SureIdo！\'

\'Well，youknow，\'saidtheDeputyLock，shrugginghisshoulderswithhishandsinhispockets，andshakinghisheadinasulkilyominousmanner，\'theparishauthoritiesdowntownwillhaveitoutofyou，ifyougoon，youmaytakeyourAlfredDavid。\'

\'ThenI\'llnotgoon。\'

\'They\'llmakeyoupay，asfurasyourmoneywillgo，\'pursuedtheDeputy，\'foryourreliefasaCasualandforyourbeingpassedtoyourParish。\'

\'Thankyekindly，Master，foryourwarning，thankyeforyourshelter，andgoodnight。\'

\'Stopabit，\'saidtheDeputy，strikinginbetweenherandthedoor。

\'Whyareyouallofashake，andwhat\'syourhurry，Missis?\'

\'Oh，Master，Master，\'returnedBettyHigden，I\'vefoughtagainsttheParishandfledfromit，allmylife，andIwanttodiefreeofit！\'

\'Idon\'tknow，\'saidtheDeputy，withdeliberation，\'asIoughttoletyougo。I\'mahonestmanasgetsmylivingbythesweatofmybrow，andImayfallintotroublebylettingyougo。I\'vefellintotroubleaforenow，byGeorge，andIknowwhatitis，andit\'smademecareful。Youmightbetookwithyourdeadnessagain，halfamileoff——orhalfofhalfaquarter，forthematterofthat——andthenitwouldbeasked，WhydidthattherehonestDeputyLock，lethergo，insteadofputtinghersafewiththeParish?That\'swhatamanofhischaracteroughttohavedone，itwouldbeargueyfied，\'saidtheDeputyLock，cunninglyharpingonthestrongstringofherterror；\'heoughttohavehandedheroversafetotheParish。Thatwastobeexpectedofamanofhismerits。\'