day declaring his passion and
becoming triumphant. But Young John had never taken courage to make
the declaration; and it was principally on these occasions that he had
returned excited to the tobacco shop, and flown at the customers. In
this affair, as in every other, Little Dorrit herself was the last
person considered. Her brother and sister were aware of it, and attained
a sort of station by making a peg of it on which to air the miserably
ragged old fiction of the family gentility. Her sister asserted the
family gentility by flouting the poor swain as he loitered about the
prison for glimpses of his dear. Tip asserted the family gentility, and
his own, by coming out in the character of the aristocratic brother, and
loftily swaggering in the little skittle ground respecting seizures by
the scruff of the neck, which there were looming probabilities of some
gentleman unknown executing on some little puppy not mentioned. These
were not the only members of the Dorrit family who turned it to account.

No, no. The Father of the Marshalsea was supposed to know nothing about
the matter, of course: his poor dignity could not see so low.

But he took the cigars, on Sundays, and was glad to get them; and
sometimes even condescended to walk up and down the yard with the donor
(who was proud and hopeful then), and benignantly to smoke one in
his society. With no less readiness and condescension did he receive
attentions from Chivery Senior, who always relinquished his arm-chair
and newspaper to him, when he came into the Lodge during one of his
spells of duty; and who had even mentioned to him, that, if he would
like at any time after dusk quietly to step out into the fore-court and
take a look at the street, there was not much to prevent him. If he did
not avail himself of this latter civility, it was only because he had
lost the relish for it; inasmuch as he took everything else he could
get, and would say at times, 'Extremely civil person, Chivery; very
attentive man and very respectful. Young Chivery, too; really almost
with a delicate perception of one's position here. A very well conducted
family indeed, the Chiveries. Their behaviour gratifies me.'

The devoted Young John all this time regarded the family with reverence.
He never dreamed of disputing their pretensions, but did homage to the
miserable Mumbo jumbo they paraded. As to resenting any affront from her
brother, he would have felt, even if he had not naturally b