At some period of every day, he and Mrs Clennam held

a council on matters of business; and it appeared to Affery, who was

always groping about, listening and watching, that the two clever ones

were making money. The state of mind into which Mr Flintwinch's dazed lady had fallen, had

now begun to be so expressed in all her looks and actions that she was

held in very low account by the two clever ones, as a person, never

of strong intellect, who was becoming foolish. Perhaps because her

appearance was not of a commercial cast, or perhaps because it occurred

to him that his having taken her to wife might expose his judgment to

doubt in the minds of customers, Mr Flintwinch laid his commands upon

her that she should hold her peace on the subject of her conjugal

relations, and should no longer call him Jeremiah out of the domestic

trio. Her frequent forgetfulness of this admonition intensified her

startled manner, since Mr Flintwinch's habit of avenging himself on her

remissness by making springs after her on the staircase, and shaking

her, occasioned her to be always nervously uncertain when she might be

thus waylaid next.

Little Dorrit had finished a long day's work in Mrs Clennam's room, and

was neatly gathering up her shreds and odds and ends before going home.

Mr Pancks, whom Affery had just shown in, was addressing an inquiry to

Mrs Clennam on the subject of her health, coupled with the remark that,

'happening to find himself in that direction,' he had looked in to

inquire, on behalf of his proprietor, how she found herself. Mrs

Clennam, with a deep contraction of her brows, was looking at him.

'Mr Casby knows,' said she, 'that I am not subject to changes. The

change that I await here is the great change.'

'Indeed, ma'am?' returned Mr Pancks, with a wandering eye towards the

figure of the little seamstress on her knee picking threads and fraying

of her work from the carpet.

'You look nicely, ma'am.' 'I bear what I have to bear,' she answered. 'Do you what you have to

do.' 'Thank you, ma'am,' said Mr Pancks, 'such is my endeavour.' 'You are often in this direction, are you not?' asked Mrs Clennam. 'Why, yes, ma'am,' said Pancks, 'rather so lately; I have lately been

round this way a good deal, owing to one thing and another.' 'Beg Mr

Casby and his daughter not to trouble themselves, by deputy, about me.

When they wish to see me, they know I am here to see them. They have no

need to trouble themselves to send. You have no need to trouble yourself

to come.' 'Not the least trouble, ma'am,' said Mr Pancks. 'You really

are looking uncommonly nicely, ma'am.'




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