nse about her), upon this followed up his head with his
body, and stood before them. To whom, in a few easy words adapted to his
capacity, Mrs Merdle stated the question at issue.

The young gentleman, after anxiously feeling his shirt-collar as if it
were his pulse and he were hypochondriacal, observed, 'That he had heard
it noticed by fellers.'

'Edmund Sparkler has heard it noticed,' said Mrs Merdle, with languid
triumph. 'Why, no doubt everybody has heard it noticed!' Which in truth
was no unreasonable inference; seeing that Mr Sparkler would probably be
the last person, in any assemblage of the human species, to receive an
impression from anything that passed in his presence.

'And Edmund Sparkler will tell you, I dare say,' said Mrs Merdle, waving
her favourite hand towards her husband, 'how he has heard it noticed.'
'I couldn't,' said Mr Sparkler, after feeling his pulse as before,
'couldn't undertake to say what led to it--'cause memory desperate
loose. But being in company with the brother of a doosed fine gal--well
educated too--with no biggodd nonsense about her--at the period alluded
to--'

'There! Never mind the sister,' remarked Mrs Merdle, a little
impatiently. 'What did the brother say?'

'Didn't say a word, ma'am,' answered Mr Sparkler. 'As silent a feller as
myself. Equally hard up for a remark.'

'Somebody said something,' returned Mrs Merdle. 'Never mind who it was.'

('Assure you I don't in the least,' said Mr Sparkler.)

'But tell us what it was.'

Mr Sparkler referred to his pulse again, and put himself through some
severe mental discipline before he replied:

'Fellers referring to my Governor--expression not my own--occasionally
compliment my Governor in a very handsome way on being immensely rich
and knowing--perfect phenomenon of Buyer and Banker and that--but say
the Shop sits heavily on him. Say he carried the Shop about, on his back
rather--like Jew clothesmen with too much business.'

'Which,' said Mrs Merdle, rising, with her floating drapery about her,
'is exactly my complaint. Edmund, give me your arm up-stairs.'

Mr Merdle, left alone to meditate on a better conformation of himself to
Society, looked out of nine windows in succession, and appeared to
see nine wastes of space. When he had thus entertained himself he went
down-stairs, and looked intently at all the carpets on the ground-floor;
and then came up-stairs again, and looked intently at all the carpets
on the fir