Mr Meagles bestirred himself with such prompt activity in the matter of
the negotiation with Daniel Doyce which Clennam had entrusted to him,
that he soon brought it into business train, and called on Clennam at
nine o'clock one morning to make his report. 'Doyce is highly gratified
by your good opinion,' he opened the business by saying, 'and desires
nothing so much as that you should examine the affairs of the Works for
yourself, and entirely understand them. He has handed me the keys of
all his books and papers--here they are jingling in this pocket--and the
only charge he has given me is "Let Mr Clennam have the means of putting
himself on a perfect equality with me as to knowing whatever I know.
If it should come to nothing after all, he will respect my confidence.
Unless I was sure of that to begin with, I should have nothing to do
with him." And there, you see,' said Mr Meagles, 'you have Daniel Doyce
all over.' 'A very honourable character.'
'Oh, yes, to be sure. Not a doubt of it. Odd, but very honourable. Very
odd though. Now, would you believe, Clennam,' said Mr Meagles, with
a hearty enjoyment of his friend's eccentricity, 'that I had a whole
morning in What's-his-name Yard--' 'Bleeding Heart?'
'A whole morning in Bleeding Heart Yard, before I could induce him to
pursue the subject at all?' 'How was that?' 'How was that, my friend?
I no sooner mentioned your name in connection
with it than he declared off.' 'Declared off on my account?'
'I no sooner mentioned your name, Clennam, than he said, "That will
never do!" What did he mean by that? I asked him. No matter, Meagles;
that would never do. Why would it never do? You'll hardly believe it,
Clennam,' said Mr Meagles, laughing within himself, 'but it came out
that it would never do, because you and he, walking down to Twickenham
together, had glided into a friendly conversation in the course of which
he had referred to his intention of taking a partner, supposing at the
time that you were as firmly and finally settled as St Paul's Cathedral.
"Whereas," says he, "Mr Clennam might now believe, if I entertained his
proposition, that I had a sinister and designing motive in what was open
free speech. Which I can't bear," says he, "which I really am too proud
to bear."' 'I should as soon suspect--'
'Of course you would,' interrupted Mr Meagles, 'and so I told him. But
it took a morning to scale that wall; and I doubt if any other man
than myself (he likes me of old) could have got his leg over it. Well,
Clennam. This business-like obstacle surmounted, he then stipulated that
before resuming with you I should look over the books and form my own
opinion. I looked over the books, and formed my own opinion. "Is it, on
the whole, for, or against?" says he. "For," says I. "Then," says he,
"you may now, my good friend, give Mr Clennam the means of forming
his opinion. To enable him to do which, without bias and with perfect
freedom, I shall go out of town for a week." And he's gone,' said Mr
Meagles; that's the rich conclusion of the thing.'