Although I was not in the habit of counting Drummle as one of my

intimate associates, I answered, "Yes."

"Well, he's going to ask the whole gang,"--I hardly felt complimented by

the word,--"and whatever he gives you, he'll give you good. Don't look

forward to variety, but you'll have excellence. And there'sa nother rum

thing in his house," proceeded Wemmick, after a moment's pause, as if

the remark followed on the housekeeper understood; "he never lets a door

or window be fastened at night."

"Is he never robbed?"

"That's it!" returned Wemmick. "He says, and gives it out publicly, "I

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want to see the man who'll rob me." Lord bless you, I have heard him, a

hundred times, if I have heard him once, say to regular cracksmen in our

front office, "You know where I live; now, no bolt is ever drawn there;

why don't you do a stroke of business with me? Come; can't I tempt you?"

Not a man of them, sir, would be bold enough to try it on, for love or

money."

"They dread him so much?" said I.

"Dread him," said Wemmick. "I believe you they dread him. Not but what

he's artful, even in his defiance of them. No silver, sir. Britannia

metal, every spoon."

"So they wouldn't have much," I observed, "even if they--"

"Ah! But he would have much," said Wemmick, cutting me short, "and they

know it. He'd have their lives, and the lives of scores of 'em. He'd

have all he could get. And it's impossible to say what he couldn't get,

if he gave his mind to it."

I was falling into meditation on my guardian's greatness, when Wemmick

remarked:-"As to the absence of plate, that's only his natural depth, you know.

A river's its natural depth, and he's his natural depth. Look at his

watch-chain. That's real enough."

"It's very massive," said I.

"Massive?" repeated Wemmick. "I think so. And his watch is a gold

repeater, and worth a hundred pound if it's worth a penny. Mr. Pip,

there are about seven hundred thieves in this town who know all about

that watch; there's not a man, a woman, or a child, among them, who

wouldn't identify the smallest link in that chain, and drop it as if it

was red hot, if inveigled into touching it."

At first with such discourse, and afterwards with conversation of a more

general nature, did Mr. Wemmick and I beguile the time and the road,

until he gave me to understand that we had arrived in the district of

Walworth.




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