The lady, recovering herself quickly--for it was Mrs Merdle and she was
not easily dashed--went on to add that she trusted in saying this, she
apologised for her boldness, and restored this well-behaved landlord to
the favour that was so very valuable to him. Mr Dorrit, on the altar of
whose dignity all this was incense, made a gracious reply; and said
that his people should--ha--countermand his horses, and he
would--hum--overlook what he had at first supposed to be an affront,
but now regarded as an honour. Upon this the bosom bent to him; and its
owner, with a wonderful command of feature, addressed a winning smile of
adieu to the two sisters, as young ladies of fortune in whose favour she
was much prepossessed, and whom she had never had the gratification of
seeing before. Not so, however, Mr Sparkler.
This gentleman, becoming transfixed at
the same moment as his lady-mother, could not by any means unfix himself
again, but stood stiffly staring at the whole composition with Miss
Fanny in the Foreground. On his mother saying, 'Edmund, we are quite
ready; will you give me your arm?' he seemed, by the motion of his lips,
to reply with some remark comprehending the form of words in which his
shining talents found the most frequent utterance, but he relaxed no
muscle. So fixed was his figure, that it would have been matter of some
difficulty to bend him sufficiently to get him in the carriage-door,
if he had not received the timely assistance of a maternal pull from
within. He was no sooner within than the pad of the little window in the
back of the chariot disappeared, and his eye usurped its place. There
it remained as long as so small an object was discernible, and probably
much longer, staring (as though something inexpressibly surprising
should happen to a codfish) like an ill-executed eye in a large locket.
his encounter was so highly agreeable to Miss Fanny, and gave her
so much to think of with triumph afterwards, that it softened her
asperities exceedingly. When the procession was again in motion next
day, she occupied her place in it with a new gaiety; and showed such a
flow of spirits indeed, that Mrs General looked rather surprised.
Little Dorrit was glad to be found no fault with, and to see that Fanny
was pleased; but her part in the procession was a musing part, and a
quiet one. Sitting opposite her father in the travelling-carriage, and
recalling the old Marshalsea room, her present existence was a dream.
All that she saw was new and wonderful, but it was not real; it seemed
to her as if those visions of mountains and picturesque countries might
melt away at any moment, and the carriage, turning some abrupt corner,
bring up with a jolt at the old Marshalsea gate