icely appointed as to seem born for only
that; simple thoughtful old Gills and his hearty young lad of a nephew;
Mr. Toodle and his children, with the charitable grinder's decline and
fall; Miss Tox, obsequious flatterer from nothing but good-nature;
spectacled and analytic, but not unkind Miss Blimber; and the good
droning dull benevolent Doctor himself, withering even the fruits of his
well-spread dinner-table with his _It is remarkable, Mr. Feeder, that
the Romans_--"at the mention of which terrible people, their implacable
enemies, every young gentleman fastened his gaze upon the Doctor, with
an assumption of the deepest interest." So vivid and life-like were all
these people, to the very youngest of the young gentlemen, that it
became natural eagerly to seek out for them actual prototypes; but I
think I can say with some confidence of them all, that, whatever single
traits may have been taken from persons known to him (a practice with
all writers, and very specially with Dickens), only two had living
originals. His own experience of Mrs. Pipchin has been related; I had
myself some knowledge of Miss Blimber; and the Little Wooden Midshipman
did actually (perhaps does still) occupy his post of observation in
Leadenhall-street. The names that have been connected, I doubt not in
perfect good faith, with Sol Gills, Perch the messenger, and Captain
Cuttle, have certainly not more foundation than the fancy a courteous
correspondent favours me with, that the redoubtable Captain must have
sat for his portrait to Charles Lamb's blustering, loud-talking,
hook-handed Mr. Mingay. As to the amiable and excellent city-merchant
whose name has been given to Mr. Dombey, he might with the same amount
of justice or probability be supposed to have originated _Coriolanus_ or
_Timon of Athens_.

FOOTNOTES:

[136] "He had already laid his hand upon the bell-rope to convey his
usual summons to Richards, when his eye fell upon a writing-desk,
belonging to his deceased wife, which had been taken, among other
things, from a cabinet in her chamber. It was not the first time that
his eye had lighted on it. He carried the key in his pocket; and he
brought it to his table and opened it now--having previously locked the
room door--with a well accustomed hand.

"From beneath a heap of torn and cancelled scraps of paper, he took one
letter that remained entire. Involuntarily holding his breath as he
opened this document, and 'bating in the stealt