'Shut the door after you. You're letting in a devil of a draught here!'
A few steps brought him to the second door on the left in the next
passage. In that room he found three gentlemen; number one doing nothing
particular, number two doing nothing particular, number three doing
nothing particular. They seemed, however, to be more directly concerned
than the others had been in the effective execution of the great
principle of the office, as there was an awful inner apartment with a
double door, in which the Circumlocution Sages appeared to be assembled
in council, and out of which there was an imposing coming of papers,
and into which there was an imposing going of papers, almost constantly;
wherein another gentleman, number four, was the active instrument.
'I want to know,' said Arthur Clennam,--and again stated his case in the
same barrel-organ way. As number one referred him to number two, and
as number two referred him to number three, he had occasion to state
it three times before they all referred him to number four, to whom he
stated it again. Number four was a vivacious, well-looking, well-dressed, agreeable
young fellow--he was a Barnacle, but on the more sprightly side of
the family--and he said in an easy way, 'Oh! you had better not bother
yourself about it, I think.'
'Not bother myself about it?' 'No! I recommend you not to bother yourself about it.' This was such a new point of view that Arthur Clennam found himself at a
loss how to receive it. 'You can if you like. I can give you plenty of forms to fill up. Lots of
'em here. You can have a dozen if you like. But you'll never go on with
it,' said number four.
'Would it be such hopeless work? Excuse me; I am a stranger in England.'
'I don't say it would be hopeless,' returned number four, with a frank
smile. 'I don't express an opinion about that; I only express an opinion
about you. I don't think you'd go on with it. However, of course, you
can do as you like. I suppose there was a failure in the performance of
a contract, or something of that kind, was there?' 'I really don't know.' '
Well! That you can find out. Then you'll find out what Department the
contract was in, and then you'll find out all about it there.' 'I beg your pardon. How shall I find out?' 'Why, you'll--you'll ask till they tell you. Then you'll memorialise
that Department (according to regular forms which you'll find out) for
leave to memorialise this Department. If you get it (which you may after
a time), that memorial must be entered in that Department, sent to
be registered in this Department, sent back to be signed by that
Department, sent back to be countersigned by this Department, and then
it will begin to be regularly before that Department. You'll find out
when the business passes through each of these stages by asking at both
Departments till they tell you.'