The Old Curiosity Shop

le man, she was much inclined to laugh at his uncouth appearance and grotesque attitude. And yet there was visible on the part of the child a painful anxiety for his reply, and consciousness of h

h his head in an uncommonly vicious manner, and when he came to the conclusion he gave a long dismal whistle indicative of surprise and dismay. After folding and laying it down beside him, he bit the nails of all of his ten fingers with extreme voracity; and taking it up sharply, rea

with a suddenness, which made the child start as t

s,

at’s inside thi

, s

e sure, quite certa

sure,

die if you do know,

t know,’ retur

lieve you. Humph! Gone already? Gone in four-and-twenty hou

adually relaxed into what was with him a cheerful smile, but which in any other man would have been a ghastly grin of

ay, Nelly, charmingly pret

o get back, for he will be

rry at all,’ said Quilp. ‘How should

what,

, my second, my Mrs Q

to understand him, which Mr Quilp observing,

s bent forefinger, ‘to be my wife, my little cherry-cheeked, red-lipped wife. Say that Mrs Quilp lives five year, or only four, you’ll be just t

anybody afforded him a constitutional delight, or because it was pleasant to contemplate the death of Mrs Quilp number one, and the elevation of Mrs Quilp number two to her post

is, directly,’ said the dwarf. ‘She’s very fond of you, Nel

the child. ‘He told me to retu

.’ With that, Mr Quilp suffered himself to roll gradually off the desk until his short legs touched the ground, when he got upon them and led the way from the counting-house to the wharf outside, when the first objects

her hand, ‘poor Kit who came with

returning with a thick stick, ‘I’ll stop ’em. Now, my boys, fight away.

him, now on one and now on the other, in a most desperate manner, always aiming at their heads and dealing such blows as none but the veriest little savage would have

ar either of them for a parting blow. ‘I’ll bruise you until you’re copper-co

you,’ said his boy, dodging round him and watchin

your skull, you dog,’ said Quilp, with gl

who was as strong as a lion, easily kept his hold until the boy was tugging at it with his utmost power, when he suddenly let it go and sent him reeling backwards, so that

ime; ‘you see if ever I offer to strike anybody again because they say yo

y, I’m not, you do

etorted

t on my wharf for, you

ied to boy, pointing to Ki

was ugly, and that she and my master was obliged t

’re very careful of yourself, Kit.’ said Quilp, with great suavity in his manner, but still more of quiet malice about his eyes and mouth. ‘Her

terous rap on the nose with the key, which brought the water into his eyes. Then Mr Quilp departed with the child and Kit in a boat, and th

erself for a refreshing slumber when the sound of his footsteps roused her. She had barely time to seem

lass of wine, my dear, and a biscuit, for she has had a long

t this unusual courtesy might portend, and obedient to the su

t they do, or how they live, or what he tells her. I’ve my reasons for knowing, if I can. You women talk more fr

, Qu

hat’s the m

‘I love the child — if you could

h to inflict condign punishment upon his disobedient wife. the submissive little

into her secrets; I know you can. I’m listening, recollect. If you’re not sharp

cing himself behind the partly opened door, and applying his ear close

s she could make; and it was not until the door, creaking in a very urgent manner, war

me backwards and forwards l

ather, a hundred times,’

has he sai

that if you could have seen him I am sure you must have cried; you

an uneasy glance towards it. ‘But your gra

re once so happy and he so cheerful and contented! You

u speak like this, my dear!’ said

to talk to you. I can speak to no one else about him, but poor Kit. I am very happy still, I ought to

y,’ said Mrs Quilp, ‘and

ild with streaming eyes; ‘but it is a long time now, sin

aid Mrs Quilp, fai

and when I stopped and we began to talk, he told me about my mother, and how she once looked and spoke just like me when she was a little child. Then he used to take me on his knee,

‘I can’t bear to see one as young a

m not quite well, I think, for the tears come into my eyes and I cannot keep them back

away her head a

a happy place it was. And if it was dark and rather dull, we used to say, what did it matter to us, for it only made us remember our last walk with greater pleasure

the door creaked more than o

nd to me than he was. I think he loves me better every day, and is kinder and mo

ves you dearly,’

change of all, and this you must never breathe again to any one. He has no sleep or rest, but that wh

el

as quite light. I saw that his face was deadly pale, that his eyes were bloodshot, and that his legs trembled as he walked. When I had gone to bed again, I heard him groan. I got up and ran back

ieties, by the first confidence she had ever shown, and the sympathy with which her little tale had

is condtiion, which he did very naturally and with admirable effect, for that kind of a

llow his lead. ‘It’s a long way from her home to the wharf, and then she was alrmed to see a couple of young sco

the head. Such an application from any other hand might not have produced a remarkable effect, but the child shrank so quickly fro

and dine with Mrs Quilp

ng, sir, already,’ retur

y that I shall see him to-morrow or maybe next day, and that I couldn’t do that little bu

, as if he doubted whether he might not have been the cause of Nelly shedding tears, and felt more than half disposed to revenge the fact u

rs Quilp?’ said the dwarf, turning upo

I do?’ returned

something less? Couldn’t you have done what you had to do, with

ely I’ve done enough. I’ve led her on to tell her secret sh

making me creak the door? It’s lucky for you that from what she let fall, I’ve got th

of this, made no reply. Her hu

that I’m upon the old gentleman’s track, and have got a new light. So let me hear no more about this m

earted persons would have mourned a much greater offence; for, in the majority of cases, conscience is an elastic and very flexible article, which will bear a deal of stretching and adapt itself to a great variety of circumstances. Some people by prudent management and leaving it off pie