The Old Curiosity Shop

Hill. Mrs Quilp was left to pine the absence of her lord, when he

pretty well every day. On the Surrey side of the river was a small rat-infested dreary yard called ‘Quilp’s Wharf,’ in which were a little wooden counting-house burrowing all awry in the dust as if it had fallen from the clouds and ploughed into the ground; a few fragments of rusty anchors; several large iron rings; some piles of rotten wood; and two or three heaps of old sheet copper, crumpled, cracked, and battered. On Quilp’s Wharf, Daniel Quilp was a ship-breaker, yet to judge from these appear

ugly creature contrived by some means or other — whether by his ugliness or his ferocity or his natural cunning is no great matter — to impress with a wholesome fear of his anger, most of those with whom he was brought into daily contact and communication. Over nobody had he such comp

also by a little understanding among themselves) to drop in one after another, just about tea-time. This being a season favourable to conversation, and the room being a cool, shady, lazy kind of place, with some plants at the open window shutting out the dust, and interposi

rstly, because Mrs Quilp being a young woman and notoriously under the dominion of her husband ought to be excited to rebel; secondly, because Mrs Quilp’s parent was known to be laudably shrewish in her disposition and inclined to resist male authority; thirdly, because each visitor wished to show for herself how superio

lp was; whereunto Mr Quilp’s wife’s mother replied sharply, ‘Oh! He was well enough — nothing much was every the matter with him — and

ce, Mrs Jiniwin’— Mrs Quilp had been a Miss Jiniwin it should be observe

finish the sentence, but she twisted off the head of a shrimp with a vindictiveness which seemed to imply that the action was in some degree a substitute for words. In this l

Mrs Jiniwin. ‘Luckily for you, you hav

she was true to herself,

ning voice. ‘How often have I said the same words to

new so much better; that it was very wrong of her not to take the advice of people who had nothing at heart but her good; that it was next door to being downright ungrateful to conduct herself in that manner; that if she had no respect for herself she ought to have some for other women, all of whom she compromised by her meekness; and that if she had no respect for other women, the time would come when oth

licity, ‘but I know that if I was to die to-morrow, Quilp

to see him dare to think of marrying any of them; they would like to see the faintest approac

gain that I know — that I’m sure — Quilp has such a way with him when he likes, that the best looking w

yet for some hidden reason they were all angry with the widow, and each lady whispered in her neighbour’s

ay is quite correct, for she often said so bef

hat she had married a man whom nobody else would have. On the other hand, to exaggerate the captivating qualities of her son-in-law would be to weaken the cause of revolt, in which all her energies were deeply engaged. Beset b

has said,!’ exclaimed the old lady. ‘If women are only true to

eorge, ‘before I’d consent to stand in awe of a man as she does of hi

d and approved of, another lady (

and they ought to know, or nobody does. But still he is not quite a — what one calls a handsome man, nor quite a young man neither, which might be

ponding murmer from the hearers, stimulated by which the lady went on to rema

declaration. ‘If he is! He is the greatest tyrant that every lived, she daren’t call her soul her own, he makes her tremble with

ony and added strong evidence of her own. The lady from the Minories recounted a successful course of treatment under which she had placed her own husband, who, from manifesting one month after marriage unequivocal symptoms of the tiger, had by this means become subdued into a perfect lamb. Another lady recounted her own personal struggle and final triumph, in the course whereof she had found it necessary to call in her mother and two aunts, and to weep incessantly night and day for six weeks. A third, who in the general confusion could secure no other listener, fastened herself upon a young woman still unmarried who happened to be amongst them, and conjured her,

ay ask the ladies to stop to supper, and have a cou

ea, Quilp,’ stammered his w

, rubbing his hands so hard that he seemed to be engaged in manufacturing, of the dirt with which th

nets and shawls, but left all verbal contention to Mrs Jiniwin, who finding hers

Quilp,’ said the old lady,

rejoined Dan

t or wrong in a supper, I

or anything unwholesome, either, unless there’s lobster-s

ked with that, or anything else that would m

a grin. ‘Not even to have a score of mothers-in-law

ld lady with a giggle, meant for satirical and to imply th

nly. So she is,’ o

uilp,’ said the old lady trembling, partly with anger

! Don’t you know she has? Don’t

uilp, and would have, if she

d and addressing his wife, ‘why don’t you always imitate your mother, my dear? She’s

worthy twenty thousand of some people,’ said M

say he was a blessed creature then; but I’m sure he is now. I

; Quilp resumed, with the same malice in his eye

exciting yourself too much — talking perhaps, f

I please, Quilp

w. Do please to go n

her out among the guests, who were by this time crowding downstairs. Being left along with his wife, who sat trembling in a corner with her eyes

p,’ he sa

,’ she repl

ed his arms again, and looked at her more sternly than befo

Qui

, Qu

to these beldames ag

lear the teaboard away, and bring the rum. The spirit being set before him in a huge case-bottle, which had originally come out of some ship’s

our, and shall probably blaze away all night. But s

rned from its own proper colours to grey and from grey to black, the room became perfectly dark and the end of the cigar a deep fiery red, but still Mr Quilp went on smoking and drinking in the same position, and