'Acquainted with any of her family?' returned Pancks. 'How should you be
acquainted with any of her family? You never heard of 'em. You can't
be acquainted with people you never heard of, can you? You should think
not!' All this time the Patriarch sat serenely smiling; nodding or shaking his
head benevolently, as the case required.
'As to being a reference,' said Pancks, 'you know, in a general way,
what being a reference means. It's all your eye, that is! Look at your
tenants down the Yard here. They'd all be references for one another,
if you'd let 'em. What would be the good of letting 'em? It's no
satisfaction to be done by two men instead of one. One's enough. A
person who can't pay, gets another person who can't pay, to guarantee
that he can pay. Like a person with two wooden legs getting another
person with two wooden legs, to guarantee that he has got two natural
legs. It don't make either of them able to do a walking match. And four
wooden legs are more troublesome to you than two, when you don't want
any.' Mr Pancks concluded by blowing off that steam of his.
A momentary silence that ensued was broken by Mr F.'s Aunt, who had been
sitting upright in a cataleptic state since her last public remark. She
now underwent a violent twitch, calculated to produce a startling effect
on the nerves of the uninitiated, and with the deadliest animosity
observed: 'You can't make a head and brains out of a brass knob with nothing in
it. You couldn't do it when your Uncle George was living; much less when
he's dead.' Mr Pancks was not slow to reply, with his usual calmness, 'Indeed,
ma'am! Bless my soul! I'm surprised to hear it.' Despite his presence of
mind, however, the speech of Mr F.'s Aunt produced a depressing effect
on the little assembly; firstly, because it was impossible to disguise
that Clennam's unoffending head was the particular temple of reason
depreciated; and secondly, because nobody ever knew on these occasions
whose Uncle George was referred to, or what spectral presence might be
invoked under that appellation.
Therefore Flora said, though still not without a certain boastfulness
and triumph in her legacy, that Mr F.'s Aunt was 'very lively to-day,
and she thought they had better go.' But Mr F.'s Aunt proved so lively
as to take the suggestion in unexpected dudgeon and declare that she
would not go; adding, with several injurious expressions, that if
'He'--too evidently meaning Clennam--wanted to get rid of her, 'let
him chuck her out of winder;' and urgently expressing her desire to see
'Him' perform that ceremony.