'With what then, Mr Pancks? That is to say, assuming that you want it of

me.' 'Yes, sir; yes, I want it of you,' said Pancks, 'if I can persuade you

to furnish it. A, B, C, D. DA, DE, DI, DO. Dictionary order. Dorrit. That's the name, sir?'

Mr Pancks blew off his peculiar noise again, and fell to at his

right-hand nails. Arthur looked searchingly at him; he returned the

look. 'I don't understand you, Mr Pancks.' 'That's the name that I want to know about.' 'And what do you want to know?' 'Whatever you can and will tell me.'

This comprehensive summary of his

desires was not discharged without some heavy labouring on the part of

Mr Pancks's machinery. 'This is a singular visit, Mr Pancks. It strikes me as rather

extraordinary that you should come, with such an object, to me.'

'It may be all extraordinary together,' returned Pancks. 'It may be out

of the ordinary course, and yet be business. In short, it is business. I

am a man of business. What business have I in this present world, except

to stick to business? No business.'

With his former doubt whether this dry hard personage were quite in

earnest, Clennam again turned his eyes attentively upon his face. It

was as scrubby and dingy as ever, and as eager and quick as ever, and he

could see nothing lurking in it that was at all expressive of a latent

mockery that had seemed to strike upon his ear in the voice.

'Now,' said Pancks, 'to put this business on its own footing, it's not

my proprietor's.' 'Do you refer to Mr Casby as your proprietor?' Pancks nodded.

'My proprietor. Put a case. Say, at my proprietor's I

hear name--name of young person Mr Clennam wants to serve. Say, name

first mentioned to my proprietor by Plornish in the Yard. Say, I go to

Plornish. Say, I ask Plornish as a matter of business for information.

Say, Plornish, though six weeks in arrear to my proprietor, declines.

Say, Mrs Plornish declines. Say, both refer to Mr Clennam. Put the

case.' 'Well?' 'Well, sir,' returned Pancks, 'say, I come to him. Say, here I am.'

With those prongs of hair sticking up all over his head, and his breath

coming and going very hard and short, the busy Pancks fell back a step

(in Tug metaphor, took half a turn astern) as if to show his dingy hull

complete, then forged a-head again, and directed his quick glance by

turns into his hat where his note-book was, and into Clennam's face.




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