Our Mutual Friend

the dismal windows commanding that churchyard until at the most dismal window of them all he saw a dismal boy, would in him have beheld, at one grand comprehensive swoop of the eye, the managing

n its dusty eyrie. To the second floor on which the window was situated, he ascended, much pre-occupied in mind by the uncertainties besetting the Roman Empire, and much regret

of his hand, as the office door was opened by the disma

e you an appointm

you know,’ returned Mr Boffi

our Appointment Book?’ Young Blight made a great show of fetching from his desk a long thin manuscript volume with a brown paper cover, and running his finger down the day’s appointme

a hurry,’ sa

made another great show of changing the volume, taking up a pen, sucking it, dipping it, and running over previous entries before

h, my lad?’ said Mr Bo

the boy. ‘I couldn’

th no drinking-cup that he could carve, be had fallen on the device of ringing alphabetical changes into the two volumes in question, or of entering vast numbers of persons out of the Directory as transacti

, now?’ asked Mr Boffin, with a po

law, now, sir, a

n in it!’ said Mr Boffin, with

d Young Blight, heaving a sigh,

ges do y

uld wish,’ repl

hole that you

lings a week,

age rate of going, to be a Judge?’ asked Mr Boff

ad not yet quite worked ou

g to prevent your going i

ver never, there was nothing to prevent his going in for it. Yet he seemed incl

ound help you up at

resent of that sum of money, and thanked him for his attention to his (Mr B

a window, and at an empty blue bag, and at a stick of sealing-wax, and a pen, and a box of wafers, and an apple, and a writing-pad — all very dusty — and at a number of

the proctor’s, with whom he had been en

a deal out of you!’ said Mr

mon next inheriting having been proved, &c., and so forth, Court of Chancery having been moved, &c. and so forth, he, Mr Lightwood, had now the gratification, honour, and happiness, again &c. and so forth, of co

ecome parboiled in hot water with, no agents to take the cream off the milk before it comes to table. You could put the whole in a cash-box to-morrow morning, and take it with you to — say, to the Rocky Mountains. Inasmuch as every man,’ concluded Mr Lightwood, with an

osely, Mr Boffin cast his perplexed gaze f

ay about it, I am sure. I was a’most as well

in, then DON’T t

id that

ay that if the circumstance of its being too much, weighs upon your mind, you have the haven of consolation open to you that you can easily make it less. And if

Boffin, still perplexed. ‘That’s not sat

, Mr Boffin?’ asked Morti

g it, I’m sure, without disrespect to his memory) but the business was a pleasant one to look after, from before daylight to past dark. It’s a’most a pity,’ said Mr Boffin, rubbing his ear, ‘that he ever went

coughed, no

twood, I will now name to you, that on behalf of the poor dear boy, me and Mrs Boffin have stood out against the old man times out of number, till he has called us every name be could lay his tongue to. I have seen him, after Mrs Boffin has given him her mind respecting the claims of the nat’ral affections, catch off Mrs Boffin’s bonnet (she wore, in general, a b

‘Equal honour — Mrs Bo

Me and Mrs Boffin stood the poor girl’s friend; me and Mrs Boffin stood the poor boy’s friend; me and Mrs Boffin up and faced the old man when we momently expected to be turned out for our pains

xon spirit — Mrs Boffin’s ancestor

Boffin, then quite a young woman and pictur of a full-blown rose, stands him by her, kneels down at the fire, warms her two open hands, and falls to rubbing his cheeks; but seeing the tears come into the child’s eyes, the tears come fast into her own, and she holds him round the neck, like as if she was protecting him, and cries to me, “I’d give the wide wide world, I would, to run away with him!” I don’t say but what it cut me, and but what it at the same time heightened my feelings of admiration for Mrs Boffin. The poor child clings to her for awhile, as she clings to him, and then, when the old man calls, he says “I must go! God bless you!” and for a moment rests his heart against her bosom, and looks up at both of us, as if it was in pain — in agony. Such a look! I went aboard with him (I ga

ing wears to rags,’ said Mo

overed dead in his bed. Then Mrs Boffin and me seal up his box, always standing on the table at the side of his bed, and having frequently heerd tell of the Temple as a spot where lawyer’s dust is contracted for, I come down here in search of a lawyer to advise, and I see your young man up at this pres

mons,’ observ

r, and you and Doctor S. take steps for finding out the poor boy, and at last you do find out the poor boy, and me and Mrs Boffin often exchange the observation

d, with a languid inclination of

is day and hour a’ purpose. Mr Lightwood, here has been a wicked cruel murder. By that murder me and Mrs Boffin mysteriously profit.

n, it’s t

offin have fixed the sum to

ot with individual imbecility, that the offer of such an immense reward is a temptation to forced su

ut o’ one side for the purpose. Whether it shall be openly decla

, Mr Boffin;

us, is to be considered in drawing ‘em up. But this is the first instructio

ery short note of it with a very rusty pen, ‘has the gra

led with tightness, leaving the whole of the property to “my beloved wife, Henerietty Bof

offin’s notions of a tight

essional profundity must be

t,’ Mr Boffi

audable. But is the tightness to bind

are you thinking of! What I want is, to make it all h

what she likes wit

laugh. ‘Hah! I should think so! It would be handsome i

in the doorway. Consequently Mr Lightwood said, in his cool manner, ‘Let me make you two known to one another,’ and further signified that Mr Wrayburn was counsel learned i

— though he didn’t look

eturned that gentleman. ‘A

cularly,’ ret

ome years of sticking to, before you master it.

ant smile, ‘but will you excuse my mentioning that

’ said M

ciple,’ said Euge

t?’ asked

to model my proceedings according to the proceedings of the bee, or the dog, or the spider, or the camel. I fully admit that the camel, for instance, is an excessively te

ed Mr Boffin, rather at a l

settled that the man is to learn from the bee (which I also deny), the question still remains, what is he to learn? To imitate? Or to avoid? When your friends the bees worry themselves to that highly fluttered extent about their sovere

, they work,’

at their one idea till Death comes upon them — that don’t you think they overdo it? And are human labourers to have no holidays, because of the bees? And am I never to have change of air, because the bees don’t? Mr

Mr Boffin. ‘Mo

sfactoriness in the world, besides what he had recalled as appertaining to the Harmon property. And he was still jogging along Fl

ort, with his meditations brought to an

r pardon,

w did you come by it

you don’

at the man, and the

vement, as if it were made of faces and he wer

ger, ‘and not likely to be kn

ut already, has it?

ing it, make him conspicuous. You we

nted out, if your politeness would allow you to confess it, for I am well aware

, s

on to give, f

, s

ng in the face of the man as he made t

yer’s and tried to fix my attention. Say out! Have yo

es

have

d you object to turn aside into this place — I think it is called Clifford

perty, or produces any article of jewellery he has found, I’ll knock him down!’ With this discreet reflection,

ng before me. I took the liberty of following you, trying to make up my mind to spea

country gentleman, nor yet jewellery,’ th

e, or if you ask yourself — which is more likely — what emboldens me, I answer, I have been strongly assured, that you are a man of r

repressed in the strange man’s manner, and he walked with his eyes on the ground — though conscious, for all that, of Mr Boffin’s

rtune, and not uplifted — I trust you will not, as a man of an open nature, suspect that I mean to flatter you

Boffin. ‘It must be comi

mstances. You will probably keep a larger house, have many matters to arrange, an

Mr Boffin, with h

Secr

n, under his breath,

find me faithful and grateful, and I hope you would find me useful. You may naturally think that my immediate object is money. Not so, fo

come from?’ as

other, meeting his eye,

reign lands being limited in extent and somewhat confused

y particul

een in ma

ou been?’ as

nce, for the reply was, ‘I have

lump it out,’ said Mr Boffin, ‘

d a smile, ‘what I aspire to do. I have been superseded as to some s

worthy Mr Boffin feared he himself might be deficient, that gentleman glanced into the mouldy little plantation or cat-preserve, of Clifford’s Inn, as it

-book and taking out a card, ‘I have not mentioned my name. M

in star

ss Bella Wilf

daughter named Be

Mr Boffin’s thoughts all the morning,

ounds of good manners, with the card in his hand. ‘Though, by-t

been in the street

ked of among

, and have held scarcely a

‘Well, sir, to tell you the truth

nconscionable as to think it likely that you would accept me on trust at first sight, and t

tion that it’s fully understood that I no more know that I shall ever be in

es

d at the applicant from head to foot, repeating

ure I s

way of life. Mrs Boffin’s inclinations certainly do tend towards Fashion; but, being already set up in a fashionable way at the Bower, she may not make further alterations. However, sir, as you don’t press yourself, I wish to meet you so far as saying, by all means

r Rokesmith answered, evidently having heard it wit

ty, ‘as to my literary man’s duties, they’re clear. Professionall

d by no means clear to Mr Rokesmith’s ast

s not above a mile or so from you, and your landlord can direct you to it. But as he may not kn

eming to have caught the sound imperfe

mind, ‘that’s YOUR look out. Harmon’s is all you’ve got to say to HIM. Morni